Mortal Coils
by Anabel Sinclair
Summary: D wanted to believe he'd seen the last of the detective. But the dead don't stay dead and somethings have a way of coming back to haunt us. Curiosity kills the cat.
1. In the Beginning

A Fore Warn.

Soooooooo

Will Director Jill live to see another day, or is this author one of those character killing ones

Should D hope that the PD will be off his back for good?

Did his 'new friend' really do him a good turn?

What's the take on the bet, weird guy VS dangerous pet?

And whatever happened to our zombie at large?

All these questions and many more shall be answered in this new installment.

Mortal Coils

* * *

*ahem*

I tried to make this sound as exciting as possible...

Guess I should stick to my strength: Karaoke singing!

So...

There will be a plot-line...amongst other things, and an ending!

Guaranteed!

How long?

I'll do my best to not draw this out.

(Remember, I suffer along with you)

Writers live on support and constructive criticism.

Not on Flames.

Thank you.

Disclaimer:

I do not own.....

at all.

(And I make no monies off this either)


	2. Chapter 2

**Housekeeping!**

Because it has been a while, here's a recap of where we left off with the action.

Warnings: Potty mouthed ness.

**Death proof**

"Remember Chris, ya gotta take easy with these cakes and stuff. The sugar is bad for your teeth and ya know Aunt Mary'll give me an earful if you go back to New York with cavities." Leon knew his fretting was falling on deaf ears, what with the way his brother's wide blue eyes devoured the contents of the bakery bag. A smile tugged his lips in spite of the stern words and he reached out to ruffle the young boy's corn silk hair, only a few shades lighter than his own. There was no way he could put up a hard face to that wide happy smile, even if it meant having a long chat with his aunt later.

Just three days ago Mary called to tell him about the change in plans. Apparently her household had been struck with a bad case of the flu and it was catching; so far Chris was the healthy one in the house but she was up to her neck with taking care of the others. Although they'd originally scheduled his trip for two weeks later, could Leon take care of his brother any way? Talk about timing. The detective was still neck deep with issues at work, concerning the messy conclusion of a four month investigation his department had been handling over a serial killer with a rather unique modus operandi. Acting on a hot tip, Leon had walked into a murder scene, starring the serial killer and his next victim. Unfortunately, the 'murder weapon' was still at large. So while the department was clearing that up, he was supposed to keep a low profile.

At least it meant he had time on his hands to clean up the apartment a bit and get a few things ready. He'd spent a whole day prowling grocery stores, list in hand because apparently Aunt Mary was very strict about the kinds of things Chris was allowed to eat. Well screw that, Leon thought, all those foods involved a lot of cooking and he could already see what dangerous roads that would lead. It was safer for everyone if he just kept the pizza shop's number on the fridge…sure he'll get healthy stuff like fruits and veggies into the mix, maybe try that vegetarian pizza they're always talking about.

_Big brother, I don't even know which one to start with…strawberry crème pie or the cheesecake…_

The detective chuckled. "How about you make that decision when we get home? It's not nice to eat in the streets ya know?"

Chris hastily nodded, a soft flush of chagrin stealing over his fair features. His fingers rapidly moved in the air.

_Sorry_

To say he stood in awe of his older brother was an understatement; he literally worshiped the ground beneath the detective's feet. Chris had always wished to live with his big brother but for one reason or another, this dream remained just that—a dream, a subject that was occasionally touched upon by the grownups but always quickly shelved away. He had to be content with the rare snatches of time they spent together now and then, hoping that perhaps when he was a little older his Aunt would finally allow him to stay in San Francisco. He knew, from the way she spoke about him and her expressions whenever Leon called, that she didn't think much of his ability to take care of a child. He had a dangerous job with the police and was still an 'unrepentant bachelor.' Of course there was the part that they never let Chris forget, the fact that Leon himself was the one who gave him up in the first place. It always hurt whenever he was reminded about this and though it was good enough reason to be angry, he could never stay angry at anyone, least of all his big brother. It was easier to forgive and completely revel in happy moments like this, keeping them in the safe place of precious memories. Forgetting was the hard part but for now Chris was not going to think about that. He shyly reached forward and slipped his small hand into Leon's; it was like wearing a warm, calloused baseball mitt. The blonde looked down and smiled, his blue eyes turning the color of the summer sky.

Walking down the street hand in hand, both in white tee shirts and rugged jeans, it was difficult for anyone looking at them to think them anything other than father and son.

They got to the intersection and joined the already gathered masses waiting for the cars to stop passing and the light to turn. Leon glanced across to the other side and recognized among the people standing by, a certain cheongsam clad Chinaman.

Count D.

He could never figure out why the other man insisted on being addressed by some phony title, particularly since he was pretty sure you had to be European to be called Count. The detective had pretty much forgotten about him, what with the flurry of issues he was dealing with, but just looking at that ever present smirk brought all his subsided feelings about the man to the forefront of his mind. Count D owned a pet shop in the heart of Chinatown, one with a controversial history with his department, and was once a major suspect in the particular case they'd just finished. Leon had been all poised to nab him when evidence and surveillance removed him from the murders. Ironically enough, the blonde had sought help from the very same Count about the fact that the serial killer had been using animals to attack his victims. He remembered having to endure the pet shop owner's thinly veiled jabs before he finally agreed to help. He and—and…Leon shook the sudden fuzziness in his head, tightening his hold on his brother's hand as the light turned green. With any luck, they would pass by each other just like that. He didn't feel like trading mental punches this evening.

The Chinaman looked up and their eyes met. No such luck. Leon held his brother back as the latter absently began stepping toward the crossing. Chris looked up and blinked askance at the detective, whose eyes were still fixed ahead. He turned across to see what the older man was looking at and saw the approaching figure, eyes widening in awe.

***

Count D's eyebrows rose when he saw the American across the street thinking. Of all the days to run out of cake. He supposed the brief moment of respite was over after all, steeling himself for whatever the detective would choose to throw his way this time. Even though they'd parted ways in peaceful, if not cordial, terms human nature was notoriously capricious and forgetful. He joined the retinue of people crossing the street, keeping the usual aloof smile on his face. It would be rude not to at least acknowledge his nemesis—that and he wanted to test how resistant the human's memory would be to tampering. The crowd in front of the Count parted as he reached the middle of the intersection, revealing the small figure standing next to the detective. His eyebrows shut up even further because the young boy was an almost perfect replica of the human. The only difference where the former had stared at him with eyes hardened by cynicism, only wonder and innocence reflected in the child's.

Count D knew it shouldn't come as such a surprise; the detective was old enough to have a child or two of his own. Human males often prided themselves on their early knowledge of the ways of the world and this particular one didn't look as if he'd ever practiced a moment of forbearance in his life. No, the Kami reconsidered, the real surprise would be the fact that there is only one and not a retinue of little detectives milling about the place.

"Good evening detective, what a surprise. Just when I was getting used to not looking over my shoulder," he began brightly once they stood face to face with each other, glancing down at the young boy without waiting for his father's reply. "Is this your son? What a charming young man, a spitting image of yourself if I might add." The child was obviously a shy type; hiding behind his father's leg with his face half buried in the latter's pants.

"Hey Count D and no, I'm not shadowing you. Don't you think I've got better things to do with my time than to be tailing your ass- erm tailing you all over the place?'

The Chinaman smirked at the quick correction, done for the sake of the child no doubt. "Well I would hope you are not dragging your son into your murky world of police business just yet." The boy was still holding on to his father's pants but his face was no longer hidden from view. Wide blue eyes held the Count's for an instant and within them he read awe, as well as _recognition_. A small frown hovered on his brow but the detective had begun speaking.

"I don't have any kids! He's my little brother."

He looked back up to the outraged eyes and inclined his head apologetically. "Forgive me for coming to such quick conclusions but it is an easy mistake to make. You two share an uncanny resemblance."

The human shrugged vaguely, eyes moving away to stare at nothing in particular. "Yeah I get that…come on Chris stop hiding behind me." He reached and successfully pulled the boy forward. "This is Count D; Count D if my brother ever goes missing, you know who I'm coming after."

Count D had the good grace to look only mildly affronted by this charge. "Detective I have told you time and time again that I do not trade in humans, only love dreams and hope." He turned to the boy and held out a hand in the proper Western fashion. "Hello Chris, I am Count D and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The boy seemed to hesitate for a moment before shyly stepping forward and putting his small fingers in the Kami's hand. "N-Nice to meet you Count D"

"I'm sorry— he's just being too shy to sign properly."

The Count straightened, his frown becoming more pronounced. "Oh." He was certain he'd just heard Chris's soft tenor murmur a reply and risked another glance at the boy, who was staring at his cheongsam with rapt attention.

The detective shifted his weight from foot to foot, a sure sign of agitation. "Yeah well we've got to go."

"Of course, and I must hurry to the bakery before it is closed. I see you have just returned from there as well," the pet shop owner gestured to the bag in Chris's hands, giving the boy another kind smile. It should be so easy to visit his ire at the brother upon the child but he couldn't, not in the face of such unsoiled innocence. "Goodbye Chris, feel free to visit my pet shop at any time. Perhaps we can find a nice pet for you."

"Oh hell no," came the vehement reply from the detective and he shook his head with a sigh.

"Whatever you say detective."

The Count bowed slightly to the pair and walked away feeling both the sting chilled of ice and the tickle fire from their encounter. There was much to ponder. He found himself looking over his shoulder, just as the young boy walking ahead did the same.

Their eyes met and held for a long moment.

***

It was nighttime and the Kami was making the last few entries into the pet shop's ancient tome of records. The room was largely deserted, the comfortable quiet broken only by the faint scratch of fountain quill over rice paper. The wind chimes outside tinkled and he looked up with a frown because surely it was too late for anyone to be thinking of patronizing the shop. He had just gotten over the humans' suspicions of his shop and here was yet another person about to give them confirmation of 'late night solicitation' in his premises. The shop keeper could already picture the look on a certain detective's face, brandishing a glossy photograph in his face.

_"So what you got to say about it this time, eh D?"_

He shuddered and shook his head in resignation as the door swung open, walking over to his usual welcoming position. Perhaps whoever it was just lost his or her way to the latest rave in American-Chinese cuisine. A black booted foot crossed the threshold and he bowed low.

"Welcome to my pet shop; we sell love dreams and hope. How may I be of service to you?"

Count D looked up as the pair slowly walked in, hand in hand. They looked around the shop and made a sound of assent.

"I'm guessing you're Count D?"

He made a sound of assent to the one who had just spoken. "Indeed I am, I presume you are here on recommendation from one of my customers?"

"Yeah, an old acquaintance," the other lightly replied, as they took a step closer to the light in tandem. One was dressed from head to toe in black; black silk shirt dress pants and gleaming leather boots. A stylish looking suit jacket hung from his fingers, thrown casually over one shoulder while the other hand loosened the silver clasp on his black tie. It was all rather conservative, save for the glint of silver on his ears, neck, fingers and lips when he moved and spoke. Cool black eyes regarded the Count with an expression of wry amusement, as though he was in on the irony of life and contemplated sharing it with the rest of the world. Perhaps it was because of all the surrounding black but his alabaster white skin stood out very sharply in the light, gleaming with an almost ethereal luster.

"He said we could get a pet for this one here."

By this one here, the Kami surmised that he meant the other man, who was taking in every feature in the shop with rapt attention. His appearance couldn't have been more starkly opposite to his partner, the hot pink top, ripped dirty jeans and chain link belt screaming out loud where the latter seemed to blend into the background. He wore a large and ornate looking collar over his neck, complete with dangling silver bone, and ankle length silver boots. His scarlet streaked black hair was mussed and scattered every which direction over his face, as though the handiwork of childish and impatient fingers. His partner's finger poked his cheek and he nodded with a bright smile.

"Mmmm-hmmm, something to keep me busy," he added, skipping away to look at the Count's collections of bird stands. "We're new to these parts and Kona's been very busy, so he hasn't had much time for me as he should."

The other man rolled his eyes and walked closer to hug him from behind. "Don't be like that Zai; it takes time and attention to run a club. You know these things take time to sort out. Once we open and everything settles down, I'm all yours again."

Count D watched with increasing bemusement as they carried on, clearing his throat discreetly to regain their attentions. "I see, and exactly what kind of pet do you have in mind?"

Kona shrugged, tugging on his lover's hand to come away. "I don't know, just something that'll keep him occupied."

"Ha ha, he really doesn't like me being bored," Zai clarified, turning toward the stacked aquariums. "Ooh pretty fish."

"No fish, remember what happened the last time I bought fish for you?"

He turned away from the glass cases, looking to the pet shop owner with an appealing pout. "How was I supposed to know beta fish shouldn't be put together in the same tank?" The innocent expression on his face disappeared and was replaced by a sly smile. "But it was fun for a while, watching them tear each other apart."

The Kami did not like the relish in Zai's voice or the unsettling gleam of hunger in his eyes and broke eye contact, turning to who it seemed was the sane one of the pair. "No fish then."

Kona nodded, reaching a beckoning hand to his wandering partner. "No fish, cats or dogs."

That didn't leave many other options. "We do carry hamsters and ferrets as well, if you would be interested in a small furry animal."

"Ferrets and hamsters, don't insult me Count D," He retorted with a chuckle, languidly gesturing around him. "An old friend told us that apart from these, you also carry some more exotic animals."

The air in the room stilled as Count D stared down the other man with raised eyebrows, a bland smile forming on his face. "Exotic animals…"

Zai's laugh rose in the air like the low shivering thrum of a violin, his boots cracking the air as he circled the pet shop and came to a stop at the other side, so he was standing between him and Kona. "Yes, exotic animals, hopefully something less boring than a hamster. The idea is to keep my mind and my hands busy, and I don't see a little furry accomplishing that."

"Who was it again that recommended me to you?"

They shared a meaningful look over his head, and Kona shrugged. "Sorry, we should have said our _late_, old friend."

There was something predatory about the way the two of them walked around the Kami, forcing him to have to turn this way and that from one to the other. So who was the intended prey, him? The thought filled him with equal parts irritation and amusement. Why not? If this was the game they wanted to play…

Count D came to a decision and turned to his would be customers, his dark lips spreading into the semblance of a warm smile, eyes blazing with cold fire. "In that case, it seems you come well informed." He moved from his solitary position and gestured to the interior of the shop. "Will both of you take responsibility for this pet?"

Kona waved an airy finger, brushing the question off, and the other two disappeared into the shop. They returned some minutes later, the pet shop keeper in the lead, his partner cradling something covered with a sleek black veil.

"He found me a pet, Kona its perfect!"

Count D inclined his head slightly. "I was able to furnish him with exactly what he deserves."

Zai nodded vigorously, adjusting the folds of the veil. "Mmmm-hmm and he made me sign a contract. There's no way I'm letting this one die on me like the others." His voice was giddy with excitement and he practically bounced from foot to foot but Kona wasn't so enthusiastic about the find.

"Contract, what sort of contract are we talking about? Maybe I should have gone in with you after all."

The Kami hastily raised a placating hand, his patronizing smile in place. "Oh it is nothing to worry about, just a few guidelines that he must adhere to with the handling of his pet. An exotic animal must come with specific needs and requirements, do you not agree? As long as these needs are met, there is no cause for concern. All we did was put it on paper that there is a clear understanding of these requirements and he signed the dotted line." He handed over a plain sheet of paper. "Even those purchasing our more ordinary pets are required to sign this contract

Kona glanced at the letterhead and then over to his happy lover, and a wry smile formed on his face. "Paper and ink…you should have made him sign it in blood."

A puzzled frown hovered over Count D's brow as he too glanced at Zai before looking more critically at his lover. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh you'll find out soon enough," was all he got for reply, those cool black eyes continuing to laugh at the situation and his ignorance. Kona unfurled his suit, sliding one arm into the sleeve, and then the other.

"Come on Zai, I've still got a few more things to look over at the site. You know I hate being late." He tightened the tie, shaking his head deprecatingly. "Some people have no concept of punctuality."

"I heard that," the other man retorted as he came abreast of the other two. Kona rolled his eyes, extending his left hand to Zai, who promptly linked their fingers with his right. "Thanks again Count, you've done us both a favor tonight." His lover nodded happily, jiggling the veiled covered object in his left arm.

"You've done him a really big favor. Actually, you should come to the opening of our club. Right, Kona?"

"It is unfortunate that the club scene is not my cup of tea," the Kami hastily demurred.

Zai broke their linked hands, reaching into his back pocket for a small black card, which he extended to the shop keeper. It was velvet lined and written on with silver calligraphy.

"Our club is a different cup of tea than any you've ever tasted. We can guarantee that," Kona pressed, a soft strain of persuasion entering his voice. "You're a beautiful person, and beautiful people are the reason Club Dante came to be in the first place. So we absolutely insist on your presence."

Count D blinked, momentarily startled by the admission. He knew that people were always aware of his physical features but few ever openly voiced this, keeping their admiration to themselves. "Thank you for the compliment but—"

"—It's not a compliment," Zai cut in, eyes wide an earnest. "He's simply saying the truth. We noticed this when we first walked in and that's why you must be at the opening."

There was something strange about it all, and not just their words, so the Kami merely gave a vague shrug. "Thank you for the invitation. I will think about it."

The pair nodded and exited the shop, hand in hand, just the way they came.

"Did you have to give them that one?"

Count D turned slightly to the kitsune waiting by beaded curtains. "It was inevitable. As fate would have it, what he wanted was exactly what he deserved."

***

It was cold, very cold, and still and silent. A smell hung heavy in the air, harsh and nauseating, perfecting the aura of gloom in this cold and silent place. It was not an inviting place but one that hastened the living away for many reasons, the most important being that it was the SCD's underground morgue.

A finger twitched ever so slightly. Hardly abnormal, cadavers were known from time to time to exhibit muscular spasms, except that it was soon followed by a more vigorous wiggle. And then another, and then the clenching of a hand. Said hand jerked wildly, slapping against a smooth metal surface, and the awakened neurons sent a clear message of pain to the brain, jolting it out of stupor. Eyes snapped open in the darkness, blinking, searching. A leg thumped here and there but the space was narrow and movement, limited. There was a harder, more urgent thump and then another, hitting more forcefully to the supposed weakness in the surface until it suddenly gave away.

Martin Delaney slipped off the folded gurney and onto the hard floor, the plain white sheets somehow hanging on and covering his nakedness. He looked around the spacious room, wondering where, why and how? He got to his feet, wondering why his skin felt so stiff and strange; a seeking hand felt the rough stitches forming a misshapen Y over his torso. He didn't have any more time to ponder on this before the hunger came. It was sharp and fast, nearly bowling him over in urgency. With the hunger came dawning understanding.

They'd said something like this would happen but he didn't expect it to be so soon. What had happened—how had it even happened?

He knew these were important questions but a topic even more vital pushed all others from his mind—the hunger. Frozen jaws worked themselves loose and he licked his cracked lips. Need…he needed…Blood. Warm, living, gushing with every pounding heartbeat, emptying and filling at the same time. He moaned and began drawing in a breath but quickly stopped. It was pushing out the stitches around his chest.

Blood. Need. Life.

He took his first step, blindly seeking out like a new born vole for its mother's teat. Where? Where?

***

Martin Delaney looked at his reflection in the mirror and grimaced. What a mess! This was important because he knew he didn't like messes. He didn't know why though, but for some reason that didn't matter. Blood sluiced down his fingers along with the warm water he raised to clean his face. Clothes…he would have to change at…home. Something appropriate for the…the…

Terror.

He jerked upright and looked around, flared nostrils scenting the air. Terror, panic…pain and pleasure, it was a jumbled mix of emotions, chaos his mind couldn't order fast enough.

"I'm late."

This was even more important than everything else. Martin Delaney tore the door off its hinges in his haste. He was late, so very late.

****

Leon wiped the last plate in the sink dry before setting it back into the cupboard with an incredulous smile on his face. The plates were brand new, and so were the shiny cutlery pieces standing in an ornamental jar on the counter. Table manners used to be a foreign concept in this apartment, along with bed time and separate laundry loads. He gazed fondly at the small figure parked on the couch, currently entrapped by the 'anime' show on a TV channel he only a few days ago knew he paid for.

Why won't they call?

Leon trained his gaze on his cell phone, willing the device to come to life and deliver a much needed dose of normality to his system. Strangely enough, it worked. He practically dove for the machine, turning it on as though it was a life line. "Leon here."

"Orcot, get to HQ pronto; we're recalling every single detective, including those on leave."

It was assistant director Paulsen. He frowned slightly, wondering what could be important enough to cause this break in protocol. "What's going on?"

"It's director Jillian."

The detective could feel the tension laced into the terse words crackle against his skin. He forced out a chuckle, putting the worst at bay. "What, she suddenly decided to retire?"

"There was an incident in the building. She's in the ICU Orcot."

The line went dead but Leon didn't notice. So profound was his shock.

------

Yup, so we're all caught up


	3. Chapter 3

**Housekeeping!**

Disclaimer (For the second and last time)

I do not own Pet Shop of Horrors. I make no monies here either

Warnings: Potty-mouthness

**Gravity**

"I'm coming, I'm comin'."

Macy Gilliam groaned and squinted her way across the corridor to the door, wondering who the hell it was that had something against her getting sleep. She opened it a crack and relaxed slightly. "It's you."

Leon nodded somewhat apologetically but even through the haze of sleep she could see his distracted state. His shirt was half tucked into his jeans and he wore his jacket inside out. His sleep mussed hair looked no better than hers after five hours of sleep.

"Hey Mace, sorry to wake you up but I really need a favor."

She blinked and he gestured lower to the figure half hidden behind him. Oh the kid. Even after several days of crossing paths on the stairs and the laundry room the boy remained gun shy. It was kind of surprising, considering his older brother's outgoing nature.

"Okay, what do you want?"

Leon reached around and pushed his brother forward with one hand while handing him a knapsack. "I just got a call from work, they want me in and I don't know how long I'll be gone. Can you please watch Chris overnight? I promise I'll check in on him in the morning."

The boy made a tiny squeak as he slid across the threshold but his brother had already taken a few steps back. Macy turned back to the detective and sighed. This was what she got for having a crush on him and letting it show.

"I guess he can spend the night on the couch."

"Great, thanks Mace, I owe ya." Leon dragged a hand through his hair, his smile loaded with devastating boyish charm as their eyes met and lingered. He leaned lower to Chris and ruffled his hair. "I gotta go kid, see ya in a bit."

Macy shut the door and yawned, stretching up to the balls of her feet. "So, I guess it's just you and me now."

Silence. They stared at each other for one moment, sleepy woman and wide eyed boy, and then he looked away, suddenly very interested in his shoes. She rolled her eyes and walked to her room, reappearing after a few seconds with a quilt. "Okay, it's too late for me to be coherent. The couch is all yours, see ya in the morning."

She dumped her load on the cloth sofa and walked away without a backward glance.

Chris stood where he was for a moment before walking toward his 'bed'. He gently laid the bag on the floor and took off his shoes, sitting on the soft cushions with a soft sigh. The past few minutes were still kind of a blur; one minute he was dozing in front of the television while his brother talked on the phone with someone in the background. Whatever they were talking about must have made Leon mad because the older man became a whirlwind of activity after that, cursing and swearing as he tore in and out of the room, stuffing clothes and his tooth brush into his knapsack before hustling him out of the apartment.

What was that all about?

Chris couldn't help feeling a pang of anxiety for his brother and hoped he wasn't in trouble. What if work got in the way and Leon had to send him back? But he was just beginning to have fun here. That was not fair at all! He unfurled the quilt and lay back on the sofa, making a pillow out of his arms. A strange bed and an unfamiliar room; Chris supposed he should be glad that he wasn't scared of the dark any more.

------------------

Anyone walking past the narrow alley tucked behind one of the many streets of Chinatown would have considered the wet and meaty crunch that intermittently filled the air decidedly out of place, even for this part of town with its many quirks and foibles. But then, very few people went venturing around questionable looking alleyways in the wee hours of the morning. It was just as well, considering that the occupants of said alleyway were in no position to be entertaining people with too much curiosity and not enough sense for their own good in the first place.

Well... one such occupant wouldn't be having an opinion for much longer, with the patient tenacity the other was going at the contents of his entrails….

The Totetsu made a low growl of raw satisfaction as hot blood gushed into his mouth, the last lively drops literally bursting with traumatic outrage as his victim's eyes flickered dead. He paused for a half breath, perhaps in a last ditch attempt at respecting the former life of his meal, and then literally dug in, one clamp of his powerful jaws making short work of the human's entire rib cage.

_Itadakimasu!_

The Totetsu was not one to play with his meal—well once it was well and truly dead—and set upon the task with gusto, knowing it would be at least a few more weeks before he would get another chance to partake in that wondrous thing called the hunt. Such was the constraints of life in the urban jungle, he mused sardonically, that great and mythical beasts had to synchronize their calendars to the traffic of the summer vacation period.

It couldn't be helped: everything changed when man entered the forest.

With that thought in mind, he cracked open man's femur with perhaps a tad more force than necessary and another incriminating sound rent the air. Nevertheless, the Totetsu was quite secure in the advantages of his hidden position and the power of his own mystique…

This was why it came as a jarring surprise when his head snapped up, bloodlust and hunger completely overtaken by the realization that _someone was watching him._

The Totetsu glared through the inky blackness, this way and that, wariness coming in the heels of this new knowledge.

A sharp gaze, boring through the mist lazily swirling in the alley. Impossible! No one would have been able to enter this space, much less see him… he would have noticed if someone breached the miasma…

Except if they'd been here the whole time.

The Totetsu took a more guarded stance, hackles rising as he penetrated deeper into the darkness. Something moved and he pounced with his teeth, dragging his quarry out into the faint glare of the waning moon.

"Now that's what I call breach of privacy."

---------

It was another quiet night in a string of such in the shop. Count D knew he should be grateful for this and enjoy the turn of events as the boon they were.

He gave the warm bundle of sleeping raccoon in his arms one last affectionate squeeze and then cross the room to deposit his charge into her sleeping basket. What few occupants of the outer part of the shop were already in varying degrees of somnambulism, save for the nocturnally inclined ones loitering in the streets of the city. Well, Count D mused as he hesitated in front of the interior threshold, it was part of his duty to keep a light out for everyone. He might as well while the remaining hours of the night until they all ambled in. He returned to his post on the couch, nursing the cold remains of his afternoon tea.

The steward found it impossible to relax to the general atmosphere of summer laxity pervading the city, even though he had no real reason to feel this way.

Quiet days have a notorious tendency to foreshadow the dull thud of the other shoe dropping, as he recently found out to his chagrin. At least the whole debacle with the humans and the law enforcement was finally becoming a thing of the past, what with a certain detective's troublesome nosiness conveniently put at bay.

Count D shook his head internally, his lips pursing into an acrimonious expression. No, the _truly_ convenient thing would be for that man to retire tomorrow morning and take up a radically different occupation, like Llama herd management. He heard from a recent client that there was a booming economy in ranching and they always needed strong, burly blockheads to do the heavy lifting in parts like Oklahoma…

The dreamy thought was superseded by a more pressing picture of said blockhead being in charge of any creature. Before the Count could follow that train for much longer however, the flap of a discretely cut entrance into an even more discrete side door announced the return of one straggler. He looked over his shoulder with a smile, setting aside the tea cup.

"I trust that this was a successful night, Tetsu-chan."

"Ya have no idea, Count," the Totetsu's gravelly voice replied, and it was followed by an entirely unfamiliar whimper. Count D frowned and fully turned around, eyes widening at the figures standing in the shop.

"Look what the cat dragged in," A nine-tailed fox lazily drawled, skirting around the faint cloud of blood that surrounded his companion to lounge on a chair.

"Yeah I found it in an alley; gave me the creeps with those bug eyes." The Totetsu mock shivered and glared at what he'd dragged in, eliciting another whimper.

The Count's face underwent a series of fleeting expressions as he took a step closer, taking in the bedraggled but otherwise unhurt creature that was obviously cowed into rigidity by his charge. There was shock and surprise, confusion, and disbelief. "It can't be."

"Look I didn't hurt it or anything…much, but it tried to get away."

He waved the predator's protest with one hand, eyes trained on the much smaller form next to him. "Y-yes, T- chan, and I thank you for showing such sensitivity. You have no idea what this means."

He half knelt in front of the creature and slowly stretched out his arms, whispering in a language alien to the other two. The effect was instantaneous; the harried stare wavered, the tension borne out of pure terror melted. Count D continued to coo and murmur, a small smile playing around his lips as he gently cajoled.

The other two took in the scene with utter silence, realizing from experience that a momentous occasion was before them.

_"Come, you are safe here. I know you do not believe such a thing even exists anymore but all you need do is look into my eyes."_

There was a pause, a hush for one heartbreaking moment, and then their eyes met. The connection was made, the haze lifted. He leaned forward just in time to gather the slumping creature into his arms.

_"There, there."_

It started as a small sniffle, and then a sniff, until the silence in the room was shattered by deep wracking sobs. The Totesu and Fox shared an uncomfortable look, feeling a twinge of mutual remorse for their previous lack of sensitivity toward the new arrival.

Count D hugged the weeping form close as he rocked back and forth on his heels. He made no attempt to dam the flow, only making soft soothing sounds in the back of his throat. Eventually the flood receded to the barest of hiccups, and then a deep breath. The Count gave one last hug before pulling away slightly. "Do you feel better?"

He received a sound of assent in reply and smiled. "I am glad to hear that. Now I reckon that you must be very tired."

Another sound of assent; it was too muffled for the others to make out but it was all their keeper needed and he got to his feet, cradling his tiny new charge in his arms. "In that case a warm bath must sound good, no?" He chuckled to whatever response the creature gave and began walking toward the interior. "Of course there is room for you here, there is always room for all who seek it…."

They disappeared into the shop and everyone, now wide awake, heaved a sigh of relief. The Totetsu moved on closer to the couch, shaking his head as he did. "That never gets old, no matter how many times I see it."

"You can say that again," the nine-tails replied, eyes still trained on the interior threshold. Neither of them was prepared for the furry blur that smacked the sides of their heads.

"Ow!"

"The hell?"

Pon-chan glared at her companions, teeth bared in a fierce expression. "You two didn't help either! I'm sure you must have scared the poor thing to death, whatever it is."

The Totetsu bristled at the charge. "Hey I'm the one who found it in the first place, staring at me as if I owed it money. You should be thanking me for even bringing it back, especially when I had to rush through my dinner."

"Please, don't spare us any of the nasty details," the Fox replied sarcastically and he snapped at his tail.

"You shut up."

The beaded curtain rippled and they turned toward the Count, all eyes riveted by the beatific expression on his face.

"I apologize for interrupting your sleep," he murmured as he approached.

"Count, you're crying," Pon-chan whispered and he stopped, touching his eyes with a finger.

"Ah…it seems I am. Nevertheless, these are not tears of sorrow." He scooped the raccoon into his arms and grinned to reassure her.

"Yeah well, I must have brought home something good," the Totetsu added and he made an emphatic sound of assent.

"Very, very good, T-chan."

"Don't make that big head swell any further Count, I refuse to clean up his brains off the floor," the nine tails put in, dodging just in time from the swipe to his legs. "Anyway, what exactly is your new friend?"

Count D sank unto the couch, reaching out to pat the silvery fur next to him. "My 'new friend' as you put it Ten-chan, is an owl."

"Well that explains the creepy stare," the totetsu chuckled and he rolled his eyes.

"She is a young— barely a hatchling really— Laughing Owl."

Silence followed this announcement and the steward felt compelled to clarify. "The Laughing Owl has been officially extinct for many decades now."

"Oh"

"Oh _wow_!"

"My sentiments exactly," Count D enthused, his eyes gleaming happily. "I can only imagine the look on Grandfather's face when I present to him our latest addition into the fold."

"You mean show her off," Ten-chan interpreted mischievously but their keeper's high couldn't be brought down.

"That too."

"Yeah, too bad your laughing owl is a crybaby," T-chan interjected, wincing internally when the light faded somewhat from the Count's expression.

"Some tears cannot be avoided; however, I am certain that this owl will henceforth live true to her name."

They sat in contemplative silence for a while, until Pon-chan broke the moment with a loud yawn.

"Aaaah…sorry Count, I think I'll go back to beeeed now."

He obligingly returned her to her basket and gently exhorted the others to do the same. Ten-chan jumped down from his perch and made for the interior. "Guess we'll be seeing more of your owl in the morning then."

"Well I am counting on you and the others to make her feel very welcome."

"That means you too Tetsu," the nine tails couldn't resist one last jibe as he disappeared.

"Yeah, yeah," the predator groused, not too far behind him. "Later Count."

"Sleep well T-chan, and thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"Oh, and one more thing…"

"Yes, I'll ask nicely before I take over the prissy tiger's Jacuzzi."

---------------

"Let me get this straight; you not only got yourself killed, but were stupid enough to end up in a police morgue. And now you can't even remember why."

Martin squirmed uncomfortably from the cold black stare beaming on him from across the table. "It—"

"And as if that was not enough, you went on a killing spree in the police headquarters."

The temperature in the room noticeably dipped. Even though Martin was technically dead and numb, he shivered on his seat. The silence was like a bubble, insulating them from the pulsing beat of the music below; save for the occasional multicolored flash of a strobe light, the heavy dark drapes revealed nothing of either world to the other. The only sound in the room was the slow, flat tap of a hardened nail over polished the wood desk between them.

"So you see what is wrong about this picture."

"I-I…"

"Now the police are going to be sniffing around the place—you know what they say about bringing down a cop, they'll be out for blood." Kona leaned backward, pressing the bridge of his nose between his fingers with a world weary sigh. "You've brought a lot of publicity to Dante tonight and not the good kind." He got to his feet and slowly circled the desk, coming to stand next to the other man. "We can't deal with this kind of thing; opening night is just two weeks away. I mean, did you have to come directly here right after?"

"I knew I was late for our meeting, finalizing the last contracts on the place." Martin finally felt relaxed enough to interject and mount a defense for his actions. Between the trauma of death and the shock of rebirth, he was still not running on all engines. It didn't help that gorging like he did immediately afterward now left him feeling heavy and sleepy.

All the same, he could have envisioned much worse directions for this conversation. For one, his employer was taking the news with surprising equanimity.

Kona raised a slight eyebrow as he leaned on the desk. "At least you were capable of making one rational action."

Martin shrugged lightly, settling back against his seat. "The blood lust kind of took over once I awoke and it was hard to do anything beyond that." He remembered the wild surge of euphoria and a smile formed on his face. "You know what I mean."

"Actually—"

The hand moved in a casual blur and then Martin's head lolled sideways independently of his body.

"—I don't." Kona looked at his blackened fingers and the decapitated corpse with distaste. "Savage."

Across the room to his left, the figure who had been lying unnoticed on his leather couch half rose and stretched. "Wow…you almost lost your temper for a moment there." Zai got to his feet and slowly walked closer until he was abreast of the chair. He swiveled it left and right, chuckling at the way the severed parts moved this way and that.

The other man paid his actions no heed, his attention trained on the large smear on his shirt. "I have a thousand things on my mind, the last thing I need is to be harboring a rabid rogue who was a liability alive and completely useless to me dead."

"Poor Marty, we knew ye not."

Kona looked up at that, accusation sparking in his eyes. "This was _your_ mess."

Zai shrugged offhandedly, giving the chair one last push. "I was bored—you shouldn't have let that happen in the first place." He moved closer and reached for his lover's tie, loosening the knot and pulling until it slipped off his shoulders. "Well at least he's one more person who won't be making it to the party."

The other man scoffed but didn't resist the fingers unbuttoning his shirt. "That doesn't make my life easier. Dammit Zai, I'm never leaving you with idle time on your hands again."

* * *

sate...

Let's start this party.


	4. Chapter 4

**Housekeeping!**

Warnings: Potty-mouthness!

**Asperity**

Leon hated hospitals. The harsh bright lights, the whitewash walls…they always had the same uninspiring tiled floors. Most of all, he hated the sterilized air and the pervasive smell of antiseptic that just followed you about the place even after you left.

Nothing good ever happened in hospitals, at least not for him.

_Paging Doctor Hakenberry to third floor pediatrics_

He peered through the clear glass wall to the room beyond and the figure lying surrounded by a network of tubes, wires and machines. It was funny, the power of a hospital gown to leach away all form and personality from a person. Director Jillian couldn't look anymore dead even if she lay in a coffin.

Leon instantly shoved back that morbid thought with an angry grimace. She ain't dead dammit!

_The next few days are very critical for her survival. Whatever attacked her, left significant damage to her larynx, pharynx and trachea; her carotid artery was partially severed in the process. She lost a lot of blood very quickly and there's no telling how much trauma her organs are going to be in, particularly her brain. She may awaken from coma but….the prognosis is pretty grim._

He pressed his hand against the cold, smooth surface and then clenched it into a fist. This was all wrong. It was all so wrong! Reality had suddenly turned 180 and done a total mind fuck on him.

"How the hell did this happen?"

"_How the hell did this happen?"_

_They were standing in the Director's office, ground zero of the vicious attack. The scene all around them carried evidence of a struggle—Jillian must have put up a fight—chairs and shelves upturned, stacks of folders strewn all over the floor. The large metal desk had actually slid several feet askew, leaving deep gouges in the adjacent wall. _

_All around them medics and crime scene investigators perched and buzzed while the occasional camera flash illuminated hitherto unnoticed splotches of blood. It was everywhere; the floor, the walls….even the ceiling was stained with streaks of dark red._

"_No one really knows, the people who can tell us exactly what happened are either dead or unconscious like Jill. But from the body trail it looks like it started downstairs. Four guys on the first floor were completely mangled, two on the third, luckily the cleaning crew had just moved on out, and then the three up here." Paulsen's face was a pale mask, his eyes glittering with cold fire._

"_Jill was the only one who survived the attack," his counterpart Jenner finished for him, turning to the tall blond between them._

_Leon looked around him once more in a bid to comprehend the sheer brutality of the incident and shook his head. "I don't get it. How did they get in the building in the first place? I mean, security looked fine when I passed through."_

"_That's because they were already in the building," Paulsen stated flatly and the detective stiffened._

"_What?"_

_The assistant director sighed and gestured toward the door. "Come with me." _

_No one noticed the three men leave the room what with the frenzied activity going on in the building. They walked down the narrow corridors and took the elevator, Leon feeling more and more mystified by the passing second. Where were they going and why the sudden change in topic and direction? All the same, he thought it wise not to ask any questions until they got 'there'._

_The trip down the elevator was silent and uncomfortable but he couldn't really say why. Something about the way Paulsen kept staring right ahead, drilling holes through the shiny metal halls with his eyes, made the blonde feel a tad nervous. The descent halted with a ding and his eyes widened when he looked up at the floor number._

_They were in the morgue._

_It was quiet and deserted. Well the morgue was normally quiet and deserted, save for when Forsythe was on duty, but tonight it felt even more so. Leon ignored the shivery feeling radiating up his stomach and obediently followed the other two. They walked into another site of chaos. It was the smell that hit him first, the pungent, eye watering reek of formaldehyde and chlorine._

_What the hell?_

"_We've sealed this place off for private investigation," Jenner murmured as they walked in and he frowned._

"_Why?"_

"_Because we believe this is where it all started."_

_The gurneys, usually neatly lined in a row, were all scattered and some of them upturned. Broken vials and medical instruments littered the floor, soaking into the chemicals spilled here and there._

"_What do you see Orcot?"_

_Leon frowned and looked around more closely, wondering what he was supposed to be looking for in a morgue. Then he noticed that one of the chamber doors was open. A closer look revealed that it was empty. _

"_Or rather, what do you not see," Paulsen clarified and he shook his head._

"_A body."_

"_Exactly, Martin Delaney's body has suddenly gone missing from the building."_

_What was that supposed to mean? That this whole attack was staged to retrieve this one body? That was ridiculous. _

"_What are you trying to say?" They were obviously trying to lead him toward a conclusion but he wasn't getting there fast enough. It was late, he was tired and Jill's attack was still buzzing in his head. Besides, he didn't feel like playing 21 questions._

"_You're the one involved with the serial killer case, the one that's still being investigated, right?"_

_He raised an eyebrow, arms folding unconsciously across his chest. "Yeah."_

"_Martin Delaney was involved with that case."_

"_He was the serial killer's last victim," the detective clarified and Paulsen nodded._

"_Right, before he killed himself."_

_Something about that conclusion sent warning bells ringing in Leon's head. "What's the point here fellas?"_

"_You called in a dead perp and a dead victim, so tell me why your victim just left eight people dead and one in critical condition in this building?" _

_Silence followed the assistant director's outburst as the blonde stared from one man to the other. This is some kinda joke right? Only the looks on their faces were dead serious. "Dead people don't go committing mass murders," was all he could say after a breath._

"_Look Orcot-"_

_Jenner raised his hand sharply to cut his partner off and then turned back to the startled detective. "The security cameras outside the building and the parking lot show your dead guy walking out of this place at the time of the incident. They're cleaning up the footage but the ID is positive. Martin Delaney killed those people—he's the one that put Jill in the hospital."_

* * *

Chris looked up from the television when his hostess emerged from her room, looking a lot more refreshed and perky than when they'd met hours ago. She was dressed in a brightly printed top and very short shorts; she also had make up on her face. He knew from experience that it meant she wanted to go out—his aunt did the same thing. Their eyes met as she walked by, flashing him a wide smile. Chris supposed she was kind of pretty, and he knew she liked his big brother. He could hear it in her voice whenever she talked to him. The first time they met on the hallway was the day after Leon picked him from the airport and back then he thought she was his girlfriend but his brother didn't seem to like her as much as she liked him.

"Hey kiddo, what's your name again…Chris?"

He turned slightly around and nodded once.

"Yeah well, I kinda don't have anything in the fridge. So what do you say we head over to McDonalds?" She came up closer and hands planted on her hips as she slowly and deliberately enunciated the words. Chris resisted the urge to roll his eyes; of course his brother told her about his 'disability' but now she was acting as if he couldn't see or hear either. He was mute, not blind or deaf, and definitely not stupid.

"Did you hear what I said? WE COULD GO TO McDONALD'S."

He bit the inside of his cheek and nodded quickly, pasting a happy smile on his face. McDonald's, yum! His aunt would have a fit if she ever heard about this. She hated places like McDonald's and never let them eat from there. Said they were unhealthy and fattening. He _knew_ she said something about this to Leon but his brother had been steadily ignoring their aunt's instructions ever since he got here. He felt a stab of guilt following that thought; it wasn't his big brother's fault that he was so busy, and he looked so sorry when he had to go last night.

Ah well, Chris supposed one breakfast at McDonald's wouldn't kill him. It wasn't as if his aunt had to know about this anyway. Besides, this was a potential adventure in the making. It would be his first time inside a McDonald's and he always wondered if they really had a clown in every single one of them.

* * *

"It's too damn early to be up."

The nine-tailed fox didn't glance toward the speaker as he passed aside the steaming kettle that was making its way around the table. "You say that every morning and yet here you are. You know, no one forces you to do this."

"You know how he is, too lazy to stay up, too greedy to miss breakfast. I just wish he'd can it with the commentary though, some of us are trying to enjoy our tea."

She peeked at them from a sliver in the curtains, almost completely hidden in the darkness. They were sitting around a table, their backs mostly turned to her.

"You know, you ain't too cute to make sauté—I got a recipe and I can substitute duck with raccoon."

The gravelly voice was familiar. It was the same one from last night.

"Keep talking and I'll tell the Count what you did three days ago to—"

"All right, I'm done," the voice hastily interjected.

"Nah, nah keep talking Pon-chan. What did he do, and to whom?"

"You stay out of this, fox. My recipe is _very_ flexible."

They were talking back and forth but there didn't seem to be any animosity between them. There was no anger to their words, just banter.

"There is no reason to hide back in the shadows. You can join them at the table if you wish."

She gasped and stepped back, right into the solid mass standing behind her, only to be borne up by gentle arms.

"Hello there, young one."

He was different from the one she'd met the night before and yet the same aura of comfort and kindness radiated from him. He eased her anxieties away just as the other one had. She peered shyly into his deep golden eyes and quickly looked away but he merely chuckled and her back on her feet.

"Have no fear, you are among friends now. Do you wish to join them?"

She turned back to the group chatting among themselves. Someone said something and the others burst into peals of laughter. Her eyes filled with longing but still she hesitated for an instant.

"I am sure they will not bite," he murmured encouragingly, reaching out a hand. She slowly put hers in it and he gave a gentle squeeze, stepping forward to part the veil. The tinkle of beads filled the air and the others turned around to face them.

"Good morning, I trust you all slept well," Sofu-D pleasantly inquired and was rewarded by general sounds of assent. He walked closer to the living area, tugging his young charge in tow. "I am glad to hear that. Now it seems we have a new addition into the fold." He urged her forward placing his hands over her shoulder. "I know I can count on you all to make her feel at home."

The quartet looked from the Elder D to the young girl standing tremulously in front of him. He wasn't his grandson—their friend and keeper—but he was steward of the shop. This knowledge was implicit and they therefore responded to him no less than they would to the younger D. It was because despite their obviously different personalities their spirit, and their love and dedication to the creatures, was unquestioned. And so when he presented the newcomer to the group, it was no different than the times the Count had done the same.

"Hello there, I didn't quite have a chance to properly introduce myself last night," The nine-tails coughed effusively, a merry twinkle in his eyes as he waved. "You can call me Ten-Chan, everyone does."

"Hey, we were already-ahem-acquainted last night right?"

It was him from the alley, the one who had awakened her from sleep, only to bear witness to a grisly scene. She remembered how he'd found her in the corner where she hid and wouldn't let go, no matter how hard she struggled. Then he dragged her out into the streets. She thought she would die, until they got to this place. Still, thinking about his fierce stare and bloody maw from before gave her pause and she almost cowered behind the arms holding her.

"Awww T-chan's okay, all bark and no bite this one," Ten-Chan interceded but his companion growled.

"Wanna bet on that?"

The fox rolled his eyes and grabbed the Totetsu's arm, reaching forward to the young girl. "I'm sure he scared you out of your wits last night with his empty growls, but he only meant well. He's sorry for being such a big meanie and it will never happen again. As punishment, he'll be your bodyguard for life and give you piggyback rides whenever you ask."

"Putting words in my mouth now, eh Ten-_chan_," The Totetsu retorted but didn't draw his hand away, turning to her with a quirky smile. "What he said."

She gingerly took the hand, a tiny smile playing on her lips. "H-hello."

"And I'm Pon-chan, it's nice to meet you." The tiny blonde girl next to him took her hand immediately afterward. "Finally, another girl I can talk with. You have no idea how it is dealing with these two dunderheads."

"I'll remember that the next time I visit the bakery," Ten-Chan pleasantly retorted and she made a horrified sound.

"You wouldn't."

"Well _dunderhead_ is a strong term you know?"

"A-hem," a discretely cleared throat interjected, and they all turned back to the Elder D. He leaned lower to her level and took her hand. "I believe it will be most remiss of me not to introduce myself. I am Sofu-D."

She nodded shyly, a dull flush dusting her brown skin.

"So, what do you go by?" This came from T-Chan but his curiosity was reflected in everyone's eyes.

She looked down and bit her lip, uncertainty marring her brow. There was a long pause while they waited, until a tiny whisper broke the silence. "A-Ahere*."

"Ahere, cute," Ten-chan remarked with a wink and Pon-chan made a sound of assent.

Sofu-D chuckled and patted her shoulder. "Well Ahere, we are all pleased to make your acquaintance. No doubt you have already met my grandson…"

At that moment, the veil across the interior shifted again, revealing a harried looking Count who was having a hard time extricating himself from the moving ring of children surrounding him. "Now, now this is not the time to play hide and go seek. I see why your mother was so eager to leave you to my care."

The hyena twins giggled and broke their siege, sighting a more likely prey.

"Oh _hell_ no," the Totetsu exclaimed as they approached and bolted away, the pair hot on his heels.

"Hmm, ammunition; is it me or is our resident menace becoming kid friendly?"

"Be kind Ten-chan," the raccoon warned but she knew it was already too late. Now freed, Count D walked closer to the living area and his eyes widened upon seeing his new charge.

"Grandson it seems we have a new friend in the house."

He nodded, wondering how the Elder could have known so soon. "Yes Grandfather, you had already turned in for the night and I saw no need to disturb you."

"You did well all the same. I was just introducing dear Ahere here to the others but now I shall leave the rest to you." the Elder beamed at the owl and took a step back but she made a sound of protest and clung to him. The others shared a look while Sofu-D patted her head. "Well then, perhaps we should continue with the introductions. Let us now visit the aviary; I hear the parrots are molting. Now that is always good for a laugh or two."

They walked back into the shop and the others watched them go.

"Yeah, so much for showing her off Count," The nine-tailed fox muttered and the Kami shrugged lightly.

"Well you cannot win them all. I am surprised nonetheless; Grandfather is not one to pick favorites."

* * *

"Look I don't get this. We've got a hot murder on our hands so what am I doing here instead of out there, getting ahold of our killer?"

Leon rubbed a sweaty palm over his tired face, resisting the urge to glare at the men sitting across from him. He bit the inside of his cheek to ward off the rush of frustration clouding his mind. As far as he was concerned he was doing a bang up job of keeping his cool, considering the circumstances.

"We're just reviewing the case you just finished working on. You know, seeing how it's been leading into this new incident."

Screw that, he thought to himself. That case had nothing to do with this. Leon was too old and jaded to believe in resurrection stories. What he did see was internal politics in action; they'd messed up big time and the higher ups were scrambling to cover their asses. Now who better to stick up than a fall guy?

And in the mean time, the real killer was still in the street. Leon sank back into the stiff chair and braced his hands behind his head. "What, it isn't closed enough for you guys?"

Jenner shifted on his seat but didn't respond. He opened the pale folder in front of him and leaned closer. "So let's look at this again. At 9:45 the night of Thursday the 18th you called in a homicide incident at the Luxor Condominium apartments. In your words, there were two casualties, both dead by the time you arrived. You later identified them in your report as Damien T. Pryor and Martin Delaney. Also according to your report, Delaney was a person of interest in the serial killer case you had been investigating and he led you directly to the perpetrator, Pryor."

Paulsen made a soft chuckling sound. "I guess it's very convenient to have both in the same place and at the same time. Killing each other was just icing on the cake."

Leon bristled internally but refused to rise to the bait. He turned his attention to the other man slowly and deliberately.

"So, how did you come by this again? This all happened off hours."

"I got a tip off an anonymous caller. It's in the report, a few lines down."

Paulson raised an eyebrow. "Yeah I read it—an anonymous caller on your personal cell phone."

Now the detective was finding it harder to leash his emotions. "Are you trying to say something? You got my phone records; you can see the call was blocked."

"Oh we know, we're just saying, what are the odds that an anonymous caller would know the private information of an SCD detective, down to his office hours."

Leon shrugged airily. "You tell me, you're the head of security. What are the odds of a murder occurring in the SCD headquarters, and the director herself being attacked?" He savored the tic that jumped in the other man's cheek for as long as possible, knowing his retort was gonna get him screwed to the wall.

Jenner intervened, his mellow voice cutting through the tension in the air. "So you follow the tip to Delaney's condo, walk in and find the two bodies. CSI says there was no evidence of a murder weapon on the scene —"

"Well that was the serial killer's MO, remember?" The blonde cut in and he waved the interjection away.

"What made you so sure that you had this wrapped in the bag? According to your reports, you had just found evidence linking the two to previous murders in the case but nothing to lead to a cast iron conclusion."

Leon rubbed his temples in a bid to ward off the slow throbbing in his skull. How long had they been up on this? "Evidence showed that there was a connection between the previous five victims and it also pointed to Delaney. That connection was Damien Pryor….why are we talking about this? What does it have to do with the HQ attack?"

Paulsen dragged his seat backward and got to his feet. "Don't change the subject Orcot. You had no hard evidence pointing Pryor as the perp but that didn't matter because you knew. Somehow you _knew_ he was the killer, I think, even before you entered that condo."

The accusation in his voice was clear as day. Leon sat upright, eyes beaming crystal sharp against the hard lines of his face, his lips set in a thin line. "So what are you suggesting, that I killed the two of them by mysterious ways and did such a thorough job of cleaning up after myself that no one could find any trace?"

The assistant director rolled his eyes and turned away. "Don't worry Leon you're off the hook for these murders. We already checked the vics times of death to your story. There was no way you killed them _and _cleaned up after yourself."

"Why are we still taking about this instead of trying to find the people who attacked Jill? I know you don't buy the whole dead man walking bullshit, so what's the point of this good cop-bad cop routine?"

Jenner opened the second folder on the table and pushed it across. It was a detailed forensic report. "Full report just came in. They pulled off four sets of DNA from the crime scene. Two belonged to the victims, Pryor and Delaney. Another was animal—"

"Let me guess, big housecat," Leon threw in and he nodded.

"And the fourth…well it's not yours Orcot. There was someone else in that apartment."

* * *

_The trouble with Zombies_...

-------------

*Ahere: Maori name, meaning Bird Snare.

I thought it fitting since Owls also hunt smaller creatures, including other birds.


	5. Chapter 5

**Housekeeping!**

Warning: Language. Leon's not the only potty mouth in this outfit

Charity

Macy glanced at her watch with a huff and shook her head. It was five fricking thirty! Why was Leon playing her like this? "Dammit, I gotta go to work—my shift starts in an hour."

Chris watched her pace the length of her living room space with a carefully blank expression, sitting with his customary stillness at the edge of the sofa. All in all he guessed it had been a nice day. Breakfast at McDonalds was a novel experience, even without the clown. That was, until his stomach began rebelling against… his sausage McMuffin with egg, Macy had called it. Then they spent a while just walking around the—visiting her friends, she'd said. Once or twice she made him wait outside a house or apartment while she went in, but it wasn't for very long. Then they came back to her apartment and watched some TV.

But then she had been getting steadily antsy as the day progressed and now he had the feeling that if he looked or even breathed wrong, it would all come to a head. She dragged a hand through her bleached curls and stalked into the bedroom, muttering under her breath along the way. Chris looked up at the watch with a frown, wondering what was keeping his brother so long. Leon had promised to check on him by morning; it was already evening and there was still no word from the older man.

He fidgeted against the couch, tucked his legs up under his knees and then straightened them almost immediately. Was everything okay? What if his brother had gotten into a police shootout with the bad guys? It happened all the time on TV. Leon could be injured. Chris stiffened all over, a pang of dread stabbing his stomach. That was why his brother hadn't called—he was in the hospital! He shook his head against the unwanted mental images of the bigger man lying in a gurney, clothes stained and bloody while doctors hovered over him.

No.

Leon wasn't dead, he was fine. Besides, he'd _know_ if anything happened to his brother. Chris didn't bother examining the basis of his certainty and it didn't matter.

At that moment Macy reemerged from the room, dressed in a black outfit that was even shorter than the shorts from the morning. Her hair was all piled up over her head and she had more make up on. She came closer and his nose twitched from her perfume.

"Look Kid I've tried waiting for your brother to come get you but I gotta go to work. I didn't sign up for no babysitting gig and I can't believe Leon's nerve—"

Her cell phone began ringing, startling them both and she broke off to pick it. "Hello, oh hey Stella!"

Chris found himself thanking whoever it was at the other end of the line for the timely intervention because her face relaxed into a wide smile and she walked over to sit by him on the couch.

"Yeah I'm fine…busy as hell though. I can't believe you just skipped out on us like that without any warning…well guess who's had to pick up the slack for customers cos of your trifling ass?"

Macy hesitated for a moment, should she be cussing in front of the kid? But then, he's dumb so who's he gonna be talking to? "Yeah 'Zaki still hasn't found a replacement for you…who'd work there anyway, with the bad rep they've been getting lately? The only reason I'm still hanging around is cos it's just part time and of course, the free bar."

She dissolved into a fit of giggles at that and Chris stared at ceiling. He really wished Leon would come home…he was tired and getting hungry but the prospects of another greasy meal didn't seem inviting.

"So how's the new outfit? I can't believe I've never even heard of the place—I can't believe you've got a job there and are getting paid not to work. I hate you, you know that right?"

_Hate you._

He sharply turned aside at that but the expression on her face didn't match the strong word.

"Whatever, you introduce me to the bouncer. You owe me that much, you little slut." Macy inadvertently looked up at the clock and gasped. "Shit I gotta go, 'Zaki'll blow a gasket if I'm late again. Hey, know what? I got the weekend off, why don't you come over and let's hang out? I scored some serious stuff off 'Cello today." She paused, as though the other person was thinking it through. "When's that club of yours opening again? Oh okay, we've got time then. Besides, it's not like you've got shitty hours to complain about….Whatever, see ya!"

Macy flipped the phone off with a sigh and then turned back to Chris. "What am I gonna do with you? I can't just leave you here by yourself, who knows when Leon's gonna call?"

He bit his lip and looked down to his scuffed sneakers, unable to formulate a response even if he wanted to. Much of their conversation throughout the day had been one-sided, with the occasional gesture of assent or otherwise from him.

_I really don't want to spend another night on your bumpy couch._

She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and then got to her feet, gesturing him to do the same. "Looks like I got no choice, you're coming with me."

_Wait, what?_

Macy must have read the expression on his face for what it was because she shrugged. "Well what other option do we have? I'm sure I can talk 'Zaki into letting you stay in the backroom while I work, but you better not get in anyone's way."

_Let me get this straight; you're going to take a kid to a bar?_

Chris conceded that he didn't know whether she actually worked in a bar but she said something about drinking. He could imagine Aunt Mary's expression right about now. Actually, if he squinted at the wall just so…

"Okay kid get your jacket, we're hitting the road."

At least I'm getting to see some parts of San Francisco, the boy thought to himself as the left the apartment.

* * *

They were lounging around the living area playing poker. Or rather, the Totetsu and Nine tailed fox were playing poker while the other two watched, because the Count had threatened brimstone and fiery retributions if they dared 'corrupt their young minds with gambling of any form'. The pair interpreted this to mean they could deal their cards and the young'uns were free to watch or not, and get a running commentary of the game in the process. Pon-chan had protested to being called young, to which the fox promptly pointed her to the mirror. Ahere had done little more than stare at her feet until the Count moved away, only to join her fair furred companion at the table. Totetsu had then dubbed her a rebel like the rest of them; he kept trying to get her to use her superior eyesight to peek at his opponent's cards. It wasn't working. He just lost another round.

"Are you sure you got anything left to bet with?" Ten-chan raised a skeptical eyebrow at his playing partner, who returned with a fierce expression.

"Just deal the cards already."

"All right, your funeral," the fox nodded with a shrug, turning to their audience. "I tried to stop him."

He shuffled the cards with all the casual ease of an expert dealer, wowing their younger companions with his sleight of hand tricks as the cards bent and danced in the air as though they had a life of their own.

"You've obviously done this for a living once," Pon-chan remarked and he made a sound that was neither assent nor rejection of the charge.

"You know me, been around a few places."

"I bet you have," T-chan cackled and he rolled his eyes.

"Eight year old."

A muffled chuckle made the fox glance aside to the owl, whose eyes were trained on his fingers as though they held the mystery of the universe. Their newcomer had taken to the place with remarkable ease considering her tumultuous first day, but he supposed it had as much to do with the warm welcome everyone gave her as it did her resilience. She'd taken to following the Sofu-D around the place like a shadow. He shook his head musingly; no, a better analogy would be to compare her reaction to the elder to that of a young chick imprinted upon its mother. The steward didn't seem to mind the extra attention but the Totetsu had remarked that it must feel creepy to have those huge eyes unblinkingly following his every move. So maybe they didn't have a lot of owls in the shop but they'd gotten used to it, and her shy nature.

For a Laughing Owl, she was very quiet, but at least some of that haunted look had faded out of her eyes.

Ten-chan turned over his cards and laughed inwardly. Tetsu, it just ain't your day.

"So, what's your story Chuckles?"

And there was that nick-name the predator had christened the poor thing with. The fox raised his eyes to the ceiling just as Pon-chan reached out to smack his opponent.

"Ow! Dammit, what was that for?"

"Count D told you not to call Ahere that anymore. How would you like it if I called you curly haired goat thing?"

T-chan considered the question for a moment and then gave a blithe shrug. "I guess it kinda fits."

"Oh brother!"

"Um…I don't mind, really," came a soft murmur from across the table and he pointed triumphantly.

"See, she doesn't mind. So lay off me already." T-chan looked at his hand and shook his head. "Geeze, you're always on my case."

"It's because we care, T-chan," the fox sweetly interjected and got a baneful stare for his troubles.

"Bite me."

"Eww no, who knows what you're carrying around," he hastily demurred with a poo-pooh expression.

Pon-chan shook her head. "I'm not even going to touch that one."

Their antics elicited another giggle from the bird, which left the trio feeling very accomplished indeed. After a few more minutes of silent playing, the Totetsu ventured forth again.

"So Ahere, what's the story?"

She looked away from the fox's hand and turned to him, head cocked to the side in a curiously birdlike expression. "Story?"

"Yeah story, you know, history."

Ahere frowned and stared up to the sky. "History… I don't... think I have one."

Ten-chan shook his head slightly. "Some of the creatures here were born in the shop but most of us came here from other places. We had lives before this shop, even if we chose to stay. So, like where you were born…"

"Maybe a mom or dad…" the raccoon added, trailing off suggestively.

Mom…dad.

It suddenly struck the Owl that she had no concept of those two words. She knew they meant parents but it never occurred to her before now that she could have them—no she _had_ to have had them at some point. Why wasn't any of this making sense?

"I..." She tried to think back to a time before that night, closing her eyes in concentration. Where I came from….

_It was bright but fuzzy; she couldn't see properly. It was warm…but the air was cold. Shadows moved constantly over and there was a roaring sound…And that was all._

Ahere realized with a start that she could remember nothing more, nothing else at all. They were looking at her expectantly. It hadn't mattered before; until that night in the alley, the whole world hadn't mattered. But now it became clear that she was supposed to remember something. Panic and misery began quickly following the heels of this realization and she choked back a sob.

"I don't have a story."

* * *

"So what's the story behind it?"

Leon was done gaping at the other two men as though they'd both grown extra heads.

_It made no sense…._

"Well DNA analysis confirmed that it belongs to a woman, Caucasian. We're running it through the databases in case we have a hit—if we're lucky this person would be in the system."

For that to happen, they would be looking at a convicted criminal. This angle completely threw a wrench into the whole deal.

It meant that Damien Pryor may not have been the serial killer after all, if someone else was in that apartment at around the same time as the murders. What if this fourth person killed the other two and made off?

"So what about the walking dead you've got killing people all around the place?"

Leon couldn't hide the cynicism in his voice, even if his brain was already mapping out the possibilities. These attacks were too random to be a preplanned thing. There was no connection between those attacked at all and they all could just be victims of opportunity; being at the wrong place at the right time to… Did Delaney have an evil, psychopathic twin?

He still couldn't see what could be so important about one dead body.

"So you see how your case links with this one?"

The detective jerked out of reverie and turned to Jenner with a distracted nod. "Yeah…I guess it's not as closed shut as I thought."

"Hmmm."

He ignored the other man and rubbed his face. "So I guess I'll have to go back to the crime scene then, look over everything again."

Paulsen shook his head. "You will do no such thing. As a matter of fact," he reached over the table. "Give me your gun."

Leon snapped back alert with the directive. "What?"

"I'm putting you on desk duty henceforth."

"The hell you are, you can't do that!"

He got to his feet and the assistant director did the same. "Look, there's still a pending investigation on the case you said you'd finished. One of your victims is linked to his new case and wow, turns out you hadn't done such a thorough job as you should have the first time around! Do you realize how much heat the higher ups are going to put on the SCD because of this attack? The last thing I need is some screwball—"

"Hey I did my job right dammit!"

"Then why were you so quick to make Pryor serial killer of the month?! You obviously ignored the possibility of other explanations and homed right onto him."

Leon's eyes flashed furiously at the accusation. No he didn't! He followed the leads and homed on to Pryor because he was the killer. Because…._because_…. The headache pounding in his head became a roar and he blinked back the spots in his vision just in time to catch the tail end of the assistant director's words.

"…don't want to see you anywhere near the crime scenes. Now give me your damned gun."

The blond bit into his cheek hard enough to draw blood. What the fuck was going on here? He looked from Paulsen's red face to Jenner's impassive mask and then closed his eyes. Don't do something stupid.

"Okay fine."

He removed the gun from its holster, checked the safety and handed it over butt first.

"You should be glad I'm not taking your badge as well," the assistant director muttered as he pocketed the issue.

Leon didn't bother responding, turning to Jenner. "Are we done here?"

The other man nodded once and he made for the door. He couldn't deal with this right now; the pain in his head was almost unbearable and the only thought in his head was to get home, pop two painkillers or a dozen and…

He froze, a lump of ice sinking in his stomach with the realization of the time and how late it was.

"Oh shit, Chris!"

_Ya always have to make sure they're really dead_

* * *

Chatterbug:

I thought about Chris being sweet, innocent _and_ the perfect angel of a boy and thought, well the hell with that.

So... I'm not making him the seed of Chucky but...

First of all, he is an Orcot--look at his brother, the apple don't fall that far from the tree.

Plus he spends much time in his head observing things and making connections, even if he can't always express all of this.

One more thing...

The next series of chapters are going to be a little on the short side. They are more like

a bridge between this and the next catastrophe--I mean, build up of events.


	6. Chapter 6

Housekeeping!

O hisashiburi desu ne!

Yeah, I haven't forgotten about this story, just got a lot on the plate.

I will be updating but perhaps not quite as often as I'd hope.

(Nonetheless, remember I suffer all the way)

Warnings: None!

**Motley**

"What do you mean, she has no history?"

The elder D peered inquiringly over the rim of his teacup to his grandson, who made a soft sound in the back of his throat.

"According to what Ten-chan and T-chan told me, Aghere does not remember anything about her past. In fact, it seems the only time she can think back to is the night when she encountered T-chan in the alley."

Sofu D's immaculate face was marred by a slight frown. He pursed his lips and shook his head. "That does not make sense; she must have come from somewhere…perhaps she is still recovering from the trauma—the Totetsu can be fierce looking you know?"

Count D took a small nibble of his large strawberry shortcake, chewing deliberatively before replying "So he can, but all the same she seems to be rather troubled by this. Pon-chan tells me that she has had a time drawing the little one out of her shell these days, she just keeps to herself."

His grandfather sighed with dismay. "I admit, I have been somewhat preoccupied with making our new arrivals comfortable and I did not notice…Aghere used to follow me around when she first came here but I supposed she found new friends to take up her attention. What shall we do about this?"

"Perhaps we should it a little more time, just in case it is as you have said and her memories do come back."

Sofu D nodded slowly and pushed his chair backward. "Fine, we will wait. But if this problem persists, I recommend that we help her regain her memory. It may be time to retrace her steps and find out from just how far she has come to us."

The Count looked up sharply at that, surprise etched in his features. "But we have never asked these questions with the others before, why must we now single her out to know her past?

The elder lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "Because otherwise, how can she build her future?"

* * *

The television was on and they were playing his favorite television show but Chris wasn't really playing attention to the catchy theme song he'd spent weeks trying to memorize. He kept looking from the half congealed Mac and Cheese on his plate to the figure hunched over their small dining table. Leon had finally capitulated and gone to the optometrist for a pair of reading glasses, which he reluctantly donned on his nose when perusing through tiny print documents. The boy remembered how much of a joke they'd made about the round frames the first day; he couldn't stop cracking up at his brother's Ghandi impressions.

Chris turned back to his plate, taking a perfunctory mouthful of his lunch—at least this food was one thing they could trust the older man not to burn. Leon spent much of his time on the dining table these days, reading through files that he called a 'closed case'. When he first started staying home longer and longer, even in the day time, Chris had asked why and his brother said something about him being on paid leave. He was still a policeman, just not allowed to carry his gun or go to work. It seemed like a good thing at first; now at least he would be able to spend more time with his brother, but all Leon did everyday was stare at his closed case and mutter to himself.

Chris glanced over his shoulder again at his brother, who barely seemed to register his presence, and sighed softly. Now he wasn't so sure he preferred having the older man around all the time to him being at work all day. At least when Leon was busy he got to hang out with Macy. Even though she smoked a lot and swore almost as bad as his brother, he got to go places with her. He smiled faintly, remembering the first time he ever went into a real bar; she'd taken him to the backrooms and all the other women had fussed over him all night. That was kinda fun, even though their boss did come in and yell at her.

Chris had been a little worried the next day, wondering what to tell his brother when he came home. In the end he decided that maybe it wasn't so bad, after all Macy and the others had been really nice to him. And he had the feeling that Leon would have been really mad if he found out she took him to a bar. He might even have yelled at her, and that would have made Chris feel bad. What if she decided not to let him stay over anymore—then where would he hang out? His brother was too busy to babysit him all the time; he had to go catch all the bad guys in the streets. Besides, Chris was the one who insisted on spending the summer with him, even though Leon said it would be tough. And so, when his brother had asked about the time he spent with Macy he'd only smiled and talked about how they went for a walk, and then she took him to McDonalds, and then they watched T.V all night.

Chris looked out the window, just as a bird hopped onto the ledge outside. It really was a nice day outside; the sky was all blue and there were no clouds to see. A light draft blew in through the blinds and he smiled faintly, turning back to his brother. He walked over to the dining table and placed his hand over the open folder. Leon frowned and looked up, his face softening when their eyes met.

"Done with lunch?"

_I wasn't that hungry…Leon is there a park in the neighborhood?_

The blonde scratched his head distractedly as he looked over the block's map in his mind's eye. Actually, there was one just a few blocks away now that he thought about it…as a cop he was trained to always be conscious of his surroundings but he never went beyond registering the presence of kids teeming the space. Chris saw the confirmation in his eyes and felt a thrill bubble up his stomach, still he contained his excitement for the real task.

_Can you take me there...sometime?_

Leon felt pangs of guilt rush through his system at that appeal and internally smacked himself. Idiot! What was he thinking, keeping the kid all cooped up in the house these past few days? He could hear his aunt's voice in his head, laden with disapproval. How much more miserable could he possibly make Chris's vacation, just because he was too focused on work to pay his brother a little attention? He took off his glasses and got to his feet, ruffling the boy's hair as he did.

"Matter of fact, let's go now."

Chris's eyes lit up and he nodded, eagerly dumping the rest of lunch on the counter while the detective turned the T.V off and ducked into the room. He quickly returned with two baseball caps, one for himself and the other he plunked on the boy's head.

"Grab your sneakers—maybe we'll get ice cream while we're out there."

* * *

"Let the record show that I said this is a bad idea….twice," Ten-Chan muttered as his friends hustled him across the street.

"Yeah the record shows, and it also shows that we told you to shut up twice," the Totetsu retorted even as his companion rolled his eyes.

"Come on guys, we're doing this for Aghere," Pon-Chan appealed, she was steadily getting tired of having to play mediator between the other two.

"I get that but we're taking her out of the shop in broad daylight, and without the Count's permission."

"Yeah and I wish would stop talking about the kid like she ain't here," T-chan pointed out, gesturing to the silent member of the quartet. Aghere walked mechanically between him and the raccoon, eyes staring resolutely at the ground. "Look we already agreed the Count's been acting like a mother hen these days with us; telling him leaves the chance that he might say no and then what we're doing would really be wrong. This way we don't get the blame, and he doesn't have to worry."

"I didn't say your logic wasn't sound T-Chan, I just don't necessarily agree with it."

They formed an incongruous group, walking down the street as a tight unit, breaking through the crowds on either side without letting anyone walk between them. The two bigger males formed a shield around their companions, one appearing to the human eye as a tall black man with the bouncer's physic and resplendent tattoos on either arm to match. The other looked rather youngish next to him, with curly black hair and reddish brown eyes. Walking with a young blonde and a dark skinned girl in between them certainly drew many a questioning eye their way, if only for a moment before some inexplicable force deflected attention away from them.

"Look, she's been cooped up in the shop for weeks now, moping about the place. Now I don't know about you but that's just not healthy, 'specially not for an owl," the Totetsu continued, a strain of seriousness entering his voice. "She may be young but she's a predator just like me…and you."

Their eyes met for a moment and the nine tails sucked his teeth as he looked away.

"Besides, kids need to be out in the sun, right Pon-Chan?" He patted the Raccoon's head and she bared her teeth at him.

"Who died and made you Dr. Spock," Ten-Chan jibed as they rounded yet another corner.

"Dr. who—is this one of your Star Trek jokes that no one gets?"

He raised his eyes to the blue sky and shook his head. "Why me?"

They crossed the street once more and reached the park. It was filled with humans; children laughing and bouncing from place to place and their watchers, mostly mothers, keeping a relaxed eye over them. The laughter and excitement in the air reached the Owlet and she looked up slightly.

T-Chan saw this and gestured to the others, puffing out his chest with pride. "See, told ya it would work."

"Yeah, but I'm just not sure we're blending in properly," Ten-Chan noted dryly, catching the third curious glance thrown their way.

"Whatever man, we're taking our kids out to the park. Anyone who asks questions can stuff it."

"Doesn't it matter that you don't even look old enough to have a girlfriend and neither of us looks anything like our 'kids'?"

The predator snapped and glared at the Kitsune. "What the hell do you want from me, man?"

"Nothing! I'm just saying that there are a lot of ways this can go south."

Pon-Chan shook her head and reached for her friend, walking away toward the swings while the other two continued to bicker.

* * *

"This is nice, isn't it?" Leon took a deep breath and let it out in one loud gust as he stretched, taut joints popping back into proper position. Looks like Chris wasn't the only one who needed time out after all—he'd almost forgotten how relaxing it could be to just hang out in the sun. He glanced at his brother and the latter nodded in confirmation, a wide smile forming on his face as he looked around.

The detective pointed to their left, "hey there's some kids playing tag over there, you could join them." A group of boys ran past them as he said that, one holding on to a small football.

The younger boy hesitated and bit his lip.

_I could go play in the playground._

Leon hoped he hid his expression well as his brother began walking off to a more secluded part of the park. He knew the kid was a little on the shy side but more and more these days he couldn't help fearing this diffidence was making him miss out on the fun of childhood. Part of it had to do with his…disability, his brother knew. It was hard being outgoing when not many people knew sign language. Plus kids could be cruel about things like that—he remembered being made fun of a lot while growing up and that was without any added disadvantage. All the same, Chris was an Orcot dammit, and being in the background was not in their genes.

Chris was glad to find that one of the swing sets was empty, and it was hidden in the back, close to a clump of trees. He looked over his shoulder to his brother, just as some lady walked up to him and they began talking. Leon was so cool, everyone wanted to talk to him or be his friend…the boy couldn't help feeling a little pride and envy at the older man. He never felt afraid about anything…meanwhile Chris couldn't even go up to a policeman and ask for help if he was lost. He sighed and sat on the swing, listlessly pushing back and forth. He just wasn't like his brother…not yet at least. His aunt always said all he had to do grow up, and then he'd be cool too. Chris couldn't wait until he was older.

He tilted back on the seat and stared through the leaves to the sky above. There was a wisp of cloud and for a moment he imagined it looked like a motorcycle. But then it thinned out even further and disappeared. He smiled and looked down across to the seats, where a raccoon was sitting and watching him. He sat still, excited at this incredible sighting. Wait; was that an owl sitting with it? Chris blinked the spots out of his eyes and looked again, only to find that it was just two girls. Where did the animals go? He hadn't imagined them, had he?

He squeezed his eyes shut and slowly opened them, but the girls were still sitting there. Maybe he shouldn't have looked up into the sun in the first place.

"Yo Chris, come over here for a second."

Leon was calling him over; there were now three women standing around him, and they were calling their kids over too. His big brother must be trying to get them to play together. Chris bit the inside of his cheek as he jumped off the swing and began walking toward the older man. He paused for a moment and turned around to the girls but they were gone.


	7. Chapter 7

It's been quite a while since I revisited this story. Quite a while. It's just that I hate leaving unfinished business

and this one really has a lot of potential.

So... I'm not making promises to update like clockwork (see disclaimer in the beginning) but I'm determined to see this one through.

Warnings: None!

**Mettle**

Kona surveyed the papers before his desk with a smile of supreme satisfaction. These were the very last contracts and documents to be signed for club Dante. It was almost annoying really, the amount of trouble this one affair had eventually become. But in the end, it would all be so worth it. In a matter of days the city would be theirs.

And then the world.

A door creaked open and he looked up as his lover emerged from the side room in the office. It was a little antechamber that technically did not exist on the building plans, but they'd found enterprising uses for the tiny space. These days the other man commandeered it.

"Done feeding your fish?"

It was funny really, how evasive Zai had become about his new pet. It was always covered up, hidden away from view. He didn't let anyone touch it, even his lover didn't know what it looked like. He seemed to be sticking to whatever rules the Chinaman's contact entailed. No matter, Kona mused, it was all good in the long run. The mystery pet kept his lover sufficiently engaged and ultimately gave him the proper focus to take care of loose ends. Eventually Zai would tire of his latest find and it would fall to him, the unpleasant task of cleaning up.

"Come here."

He patted his lap and the other man obeyed, straddling his long legs. Kona's smile was full of affection as he reached up to cup his face.

"How are you feeling?"

Zai smiled, blowing a gentle breeze against his palm. His skin was warm and a little flushed; his eyes were large and impossibly black.

"Almost ready, like a bun in the oven."

The other man nodded and made sympathetic noises, gently massaging his throat, neck and shoulders. "Our plans are progressing at just the right pace; everything is falling into place." He paused and shook his head. "Well as long as you keep your hands to yourself in the mean time."

Zai closed his eyes and slumped forward, falling into his waiting arms. "Over the course of weeks? I make no promises."

The other man sighed and cast his eyes to the ceiling. "It's a good thing then that I'm not the jealous type. Bear with this darling, it's all almost over. If you need any reminding, just think about how far we've come along...where we're going. "

Zai leaned back, his eyes flashed a hungry red as they measured gazes. "You have no idea what it's doing to me, this waiting. How far we have come… it's all I can think about." But then the tension slipped and a coy smile hovered over his lips. "Well, almost. You said you're done..."

Kona made a sound of assent.

"So no meetings or calls or other annoying interruptions."

He nodded slowly.

"Nothing. No one but you and me."

* * *

Leon stared at the clipped notes on his desk with a growing frown. They were the final forensic reports from the last case he worked on. The back from the dead case, as he bitterly termed it in his head. He'd cadged this, along with the M.E's preliminary reports on he who refused to stay down. Forget whatever the two stooges were saying, he knew in his gut that there was something hoary about this new case. The police were tripping over themselves trying to find a proper explanation...just like he was also trying to figure out how he could have dropped the ball on this so badly.

It didn't make sense.

According to forensics they'd found all sorts of DNA in the scene; most of it belong to the deceased but there were also others, including this mystery woman they couldn't get a fix on in any database. As far as he was concerned, it just meant she'd been a model citizen up until now. But still, why had he been so gun-sure about this case?

He set the forensic report aside and picked up the M.E notes. From the prelim report, Martin had died from massive hemorrhage stemming from the severing of his carotid artery and jugular vein by...fangs. Judging from similar injuries found on the only other body in the room ¨C a Tristan D Pryor ¨C both victims shared a similar fate. They were both attacked by a wild animal. Likely a very large feline.

On paper, this was just another death in the series of bizarre animal related murders he'd been working for months now. So why was there the certainty in the base of his stomach that these two were the very last? That the case was as good as closed?

Leon rubbed off the slow headache in the base of his skull and frowned into the writing. He was a good cop dammit! He didn't just fly off on wild theories; he carefully followed leads and reasoned out questions. He was good at analyzing information and reading people.

And he trusted his gut.

His gut told him that there was something missing. Something he was overlooking...

And there was Jill lying in the hospital. Fighting for her life. Somehow Leon knew this was his fault. He owed it to her to get to the bottom of this.

But where to start?

His eyes turned back to the forensic notes. This mystery woman. If she was somehow involved with Martin, then there had to be more evidence back at his apartment.

* * *

"Need any help with that, Count?"

Count D looked up at the Whooping Crane paused at the threshold and shook his head with a slight smile.

"Thank you Miss but no."

She peered at him from the side for a moment, an inclination characteristic of all her kind, and then nodded, walking off to the common area of the shop. Count D sighed and settled back into his task. Spring cleaning in the shop sometimes lasted well into Summer or Fall; one of the little projects he'd been meaning to get done but somehow got derailed. There was always something else coming up besides the daily handling of the shop. New faces trickled in almost constantly these days, nearly all with a similar story to tell. Their homes had been destroyed, habitats cleared to make room for Man. There were moments he wondered whether they wouldn't soon run out of room, but then quickly chided himself. There would always be room, as long as there was someone willing to keep the door open.

Speaking of room, he was surprised that this one had gone empty for so long. It really was up to the shop to designate rooms for each occupant, he never had a say about that. All he needed to do was walk them in, and the shop usually led them to the right door; the right room to fit each specific need. Perhaps there just wasn't a reason for him to notice this room until when he found it in such a disheveled state.

Count D sorted through the cluttered furniture, dusting and putting them in proper place, and changed the sheets on the bed. There were tightly packed bags strewn around the space, as though someone had merely stepped in to dump everything in there and walked right out. The last occupant must not have spent a lot of time in here. He reached for the first bag and upended its contents onto the bed.

"What in the world?"

The bag was full of Jeans trousers, all neatly folded along the seams. He shook one open and frowned; it was an old fashioned straight cut and very easily his own size. Investigating into another bag revealed dress shirts, tee-shirts and tank tops, all in varying colors and cuts. His frown deepened as he opened yet another bag.

"Changshan."

He picked up one of the silk gowns; it was quite similar in cut to the one he wore, but the color... Count D usually favored subdued hues of purple, green, the occasional burgundy, but this was done in flamboyant orange and gold, with dark red hibiscus flower patterns embossed all over the hemline. Not his style, definitely not his Grandfather's style. The latter favored even more conservative tones than his. He brought it up to his face and breathed in.

Scent is the most important quality every creature possesses; it is the fundamental marker of all living things. His sense of smell was very acute, more so than many of his charges. The Count could identify every single creature that darkened his doorstep just by their scent alone.

So familiar...

Pon-chan was an earthy sweetness to Ten-chan's spicy musk. Tetsu was an overcast cloud of energy and tension, with that iron tang of blood that followed him everywhere. Grandfather smelled like the crisp clarity of mountain air after the rain. His own scent was similar but flowery. This scent was darker and more fruity...

Of course, who else?

The gown pooled out of the Count's fingers and back to the bed. It made a little more sense now, that the bags were hastily dumped in here, that the room was still available. _That person_ rarely spent significant amount of time at the Shop, not even before...

He sighed and mechanically folded the clothes back into the individual bags. The Jeans trousers should have been a dead giveaway; he'd never owned one and Grandfather wouldn't be caught dead in such an inelegant contraption. Only that person had such unconventional tastes after all. Most times he found it hard to believe that he came from that person. But even more so, his grandfather must be terminally mortified by how completely different from him his son turned out to be. Different from them. In fact, one could be forgiven for concluding that a mistake had been made somewhere when it came to his father. He was flamboyant, flighty, eccentric and his dangerous ideals of how the world should be! But all of those sins paled next to his relationship with that human.

Count D's hands tightened over the gown as he remembered the day his father had brought Vesca Howell home to the Shop and blithely made his announcement.

"_For the past eighteen years I have been trying to live a lie. Well I have failed and I admit my failure. I love this man and I am going to be with him with or without your blessing."_

Grandfather had been furious- no, livid. He'd never seen their elder look so angry, so disappointed. In his grandfather's eyes he saw the anguish of loss, and truly understood what was going on. His father had just chosen - chosen a human over them. Over him. And then came the pain.

In the haze of confusion and questions, he distantly overheard his grandfather ordering his father out.

_"Well then leave! I do not see why you came here to tell me that."_

_"I didn't come for you; I came to tell him."_

His father had walked over to him and knelt until their eyes were level. He remembered looking into those violet eyes, only to find them brimming with tears. He remembered the cool feel of his father's skin as he gently cupped his face.

_"You won't forgive me for this, little one, and I won't expect you to. But someday when you're older, I hope that you will understand. Above all, I hope you'll come to know this very feeling. And when you do, cherish it."_

His hands slowed over a sleeveless top and he stared into the armoire across the room. His father never came back to the Shop; they didn't talk about it, didn't talk about him. It was still painful to his grandfather. He still didn't know how to forgive being so abandoned, and couldn't even begin to understand why the latter would choose to be with a human for any reason. Knowing that feeling...well at least that was one thing he would never have to worry about.

Count D folded zipped up the bags and neatly set them in a corner. He gave the room a last look and shook his head. Actually, that was not the last time he ever saw his father. There was that strange occurrence a few years ago. It was an unusually quiet day at the Shop and he'd stolen a few hours to meditate. The Count rarely thought about his father but on that day for some reason the latter had been on his mind. And then, all of a sudden, there he was. It was as though he was looking through a mirror, but it wasn't his own face looking back. His father recovered from the surprise much quicker and a slow smile formed on his face. He was somewhere tropical, and his bright dressing gown fit the setting.

"Well if it isn't my little one."

Startled, he had broken the connection. He never dared to try again. Besides, what was the point in that? His father had made his choice; he had done well enough without him. He was steward of the Shop, surrounded by so many wonderful friends, and he had Grandfather. What more could he possibly want?

And, little one? It was just like his father to treat him like the child he was not. Why, Count D fumed, he was old enough to-to have his own child. He huffed and shut the door. Enough of that. As he walked away, the Count firmly put aside all thoughts of his absconded father, the past and old buried wounds.

* * *

Chris winced from the very off-key rendition blaring out of the bathroom door. Macy had many talents, including somehow always knowing exactly when the bus would roll out the stop, but singing was not one of them. Too bad, it seemed no one around her ever made this known. Or maybe they loved her too much to tell her so...or maybe the opposite. He sighed and rolled his eyes, turning back to the anime show on TV. Either way, she was stuck in babysitting duty with him.

He had to wonder what his brother kept promising to get her to agree to this every singe time; nonetheless, Leon had hustled him up from bed around seven and across the hall with the promise to be back by lunchtime. He thought that after what happened the last time, she would say no; but all she did was roll her eyes and step away from the door. A faint smile formed on his face as she attempted another high note, only to hack into a coughing fit. Macy smoked a lot and used bad words a lot but she was nice to him. She wasn't really a bad person, but he wondered what his aunt would say if she ever knew about this. There were a lot of things Chris decided he wouldn't be telling his aunt about this Summer vacation.

"Hey Kiddo, still watching that weird cartoon thing?"

She paused for a moment on the way to the bedroom and shook her head. He shrugged to no one; Macy was not the first person to make that comment. And it wasn't like he could really explain it to her anyway. Not in a way she'd understand. A bird fluttered to the window sill and he stared at it wistfully. It was cloudy outside but it hadn't rained all day, and the weatherman didn't say it would. He thought about the park around the corner. It would probably be empty now; his aunt always canceled outdoor plans whenever the weather looked like it did now. He was sure most other moms thought like his aunt anyway. The bird cheeped once and flew off. He sighed longingly after it; the park would be nice and quiet and he could play on the swings all he liked. Or stare at the shapes in the clouds. If only they could hang out at the park, that definitely beat sitting in the house all day. But Macy didn't seem like the kind of girl who'd like to play in the park. She burst out of the room at that instant, dressed up, made up and smelling like a lot of flowers.

"Okay kid, we have a problem."

She spread her arms wide for dramatic effect and he blinked, playing along.

"So I just got called up for an interview at this brand new club opening in a few weeks. It looks like my best friend Stella must have put in a good word for me because they just left a message on my phone that they'd like to check me out for a sudden opening…"

She was talking really fast now and her voice was steadily rising. Chris could see the flush of color on her face and excitement in her eyes.

"This place is a really big deal and the pay is amazing! I could literally have only one job and still pay for rent and the car insurance! And a new pair of Jimmy Choo's every week! Chris I have to go for this interview."

Her eyes went wide as he quickly filled in the dots. She couldn't take him along because kids aren't allowed in that kind of place and she didn't know what to do with him because his big brother was still away. Wild hope bloomed in the silence that grew between them.

Macy must have read the acceptance in his eyes because she leaned close and grabbed his arms.

"It's only going to be for a couple hours, I promise. I know your brother asked me to watch you but I have to do this. So can you do me a favor and stay put? I'll order take out when I get back, okay?"

Chris smiled and nodded. She heaved a sigh of relief and rushed around the room, stuffing things into her bag.

"Okay, so I'll see you soon honey! Wish me luck!"

And just like that, he was all alone in the apartment. The anime show was over and they were just about starting another. Chris looked out the window to the gloomy sky. She said she'd be out for two hours; he could go out for a little bit and be back before then. Macy wouldn't know and neither would big brother.

Chris felt a twinge of guilt as he turned off the T.V and made for the door. Macy didn't say he could leave the apartment – she didn't actually say anything but he didn't think she would agree to watch him again if she found out. So he really had to make sure no one found out.

He turned the lock only half way, so he wouldn't be locked out.

* * *

"Okay guys here's what we're gonna do. We're starting with a wild cat; chuckles, you break left and cut him off with a double wing, I pass the ball to blondie and she tosses it over and we finish with the flex bone for the end zone. He'll never know what hit him, okay?"

Pon-chan straightened up from the 'team huddle' and raised an eyebrow. "What's a double wing, and flex bone? I thought we were just playing flag football. T-Chan you're making this complicated."

The Tetsu rolled his eyes and bent her back into the huddle. "Look do you want a plain, lousy chase around this field or do you want some real action?"

From across the field the lone opposition team waved and hollered. "Hey guys, I've actually counted three more grey hairs since you began this tactical meeting. Are we going to play or what?"

"Tell me about it," the raccoon groused to her team mate and Ahere giggled.

"Pon-chan, this is Chuckle's first pigskin experience and I want it to be real special. Put in an effort to her, okay? Besides, I've got her decked out in full Charger swag."

"And that's the wrong city," she retorted but shrugged. "Okay fine. So full wing and fish bone, hut!"

Tetsu opened his mouth but then thought the better of it. "Sure, whatever."

True to Chris's prediction, the park was practically deserted. And more importantly, the swings were free! He made a bee line for the sand filled enclosure, passing by a group playing in the field.

"Break left Chuckles! No, my left!"

They seemed to be playing some sort of football game, except it was three against one. That was hardly fair. Chris paused, wincing slightly as he witnessed a hard tackle….on the other hand, maybe that one guy didn't need help after all. They all looked like they were having fun – for a moment he thought about asking to join their game. Rule number one was: don't talk to strangers. Chris was sure he'd already broken ten rules by leaving the house; he didn't need to get into more trouble. Besides, what if they didn't need anyone else to join their group?

He smiled and walked on as the other three chased the one guy all the way to the end zone but still couldn't catch up to him.

* * *

"You know what? Maybe football was the wrong game," T-Chan huffed from between gritted teeth as they call came together.

"Finally admitting defeat?" Ten-Chan jabbed, dodging from the thrown elbow.

"You shut up, cheater."

"It was three against one!"

"Guyyyyys," Pon-chan sighed, playing mediator once again. "How about this time we let Ahere pick the next game?"

All three turned to their taciturn companion and she shrugged lightly.

"Um, how about hide and go seek?"

The older pair considered the suggestion and the Totetsu nodded.

"That's actually a great idea."

Pon-chan pointed to a wooded section of the park. "That looks like a good place to hide. Ahere and I will go hide, and then you guys come seek, okay?"

The girls bounded off, giggling excitedly while their friends watched them go.

"Hide and go seek, I haven't played that since I was a cub with my litter mates," the Totetsu muttered wistfully. "Nothing like kids to make you feel your age, huh?"

Ten-chan sighed and casually slung an arm around his friend's neck. "Yeah that's true. But then, there's nothing like kids to make you forget your age. Come on, let's go play some hide and seek."

He turned around and made a show of yelling, "Ready or not, here we come!"

This was nice. Chris sighed and took a deep breath of warm air. The best thing about swings was that they made you feel like you could almost fly. Sometimes he had to remember to keep holding on and not let go. Falling wouldn't be fun; he'd probably hurt himself and have to explain everything to Macy and big brother. But sometimes he wondered what it would feel like for that one second, just to let go and fly. He pushed off the swing and looked around. He'd probably spent enough time out in the park, it was time to get back to the apartment.

"Aaaaaaaaah!"

Chris froze, startled by the loud scream. What was that?

"No!"

He turned to the left – it came from over there around the trees. It sounded like someone was in trouble.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

Chris took a step forward but then hesitated, biting his lip. If they were in trouble, he ought to call for help from an adult. Or a police man. Someone bigger than him.

_There's nothing I can do. I shouldn't even be here – if something bad happens I'm gonna be in a whole lot of trouble._

"Stop! No!"

He ran forward into the woods, in the direction of the screams.

* * *

"Gotcha!"

Ten-chan positively cackled with glee when he half yanked a protesting raccoon girl from the tree branch she'd been hugging.

"Hey, no fair! You guys started looking for us too early."

The Kitsune shook his head and swung her over his shoulder, bouncing her up and down as he walked through the trees.

"Or we're superior hunters and finding two little kids in a bunch of trees is child's play."

A short scream burst through the landscape and he nodded. "And that's your partner being nabbed. Come on, let's meet up with them. We should be heading back now – Count D's likely on his way from the bakery and we don't want him to catch us."

Pon-chan made a sound of assent and snuggled closer to her friend. "Promise you'll buy us ice cream?"

"You little extortionist."

They bantered companionably as they sought for their friends. Soon enough, the Totetsu's figure could be seen just ahead.

"Alright big guy, I think we've humiliated ourselves enough for one day. Now Blondie here has promised not to repeat any of this to the damn tiger…"

But something was off; he sensed the tension wafting off T-chan the moment they were close enough and it made him tense. A few steps closer made the situation clear as they came abreast their friend, and the whimpering human child caught in his stare.

* * *

_Please I'm sorry! _

Chris shut his eyes, arms raised up against the monster snarling and spitting over him. He'd run into the woods toward the voice, hoping to help whoever was in trouble, and found them. The girl was screaming and kicking against the man holding her by the legs. Only, all of a sudden she disappeared and he- he became this –

_Curlyhairedgoattigerthing! Please don't eat me!_

Now he was crying and it was getting hard to breathe. His throat was getting stuck! Chris wheezed and bent over, struggling against the dark spots filling his vision. It was getting hard to breathe!

* * *

_Curlyhairedgoattigerthing! Please don't eat me!_

The trio was paralyzed into silence for an instant, staring wide eyed at the little boy cowering before them.

"D-did he just say what I think I heard?"

T-chan's voice was rough with shock but the raccoon girl slowly nodded.

"If you heard curly haired goat tiger thing…"

But then the boy began flailing and doubled over, high splotches of color blotting his face.

"Tetsu, what did you do to him?"

The Totetsu shook his head, turning slightly to Ten-Chan.

"Nothing, I swear. He just ran into Chuckles and me and started freaking out."

"He can't breathe – he's choking!"

The Kitsune yanked the boy upright and pounded him hard on the back. He jerked and coughed before taking in a deep breath and sank unto the ground.

"Is he alright?"

Pon-chan hesitantly approached the fallen boy and poked him slightly. He flinched and opened his eyes, skittering back from them with wide, wild eyes.

_Please, please don't eat me._

"No one's gonna eat you. Relax!"

He gulped and swallowed, looking sideways from the little girl to the big black man. A tiny frown appeared on his face as he searched beyond them.

_W-what happened to the monster?_

The girl looked around and shook her head, eyes wide with question.

"What monster? There's no monster here."

_But I saw! He was big and-and had big teeth and red eyes!_

"Matte Pon-Chan." The Kitsune's soft voice had a warning edge and she stiffened.

"Nani desu ka?"

The Totetsu shook his head and stepped back from the kid, eyes narrowing slightly. "The kid hasn't opened his mouth this whole time."

She frowned and turned to the pale faced boy. "What are you talking about?"

"And yet all of us can hear him loud and clear. How's that possible if he's not talking?" Ten-chan's gaze turned calculating as he surveyed the child. "So what's going on?"

Before he could react, his volatile partner dropped the glamour and pounced on the kid.

_Aaah!_

"T-chan, wait!"

"I got this Kitsune."

The Totetsu turned back to the frozen human in a dangerous voice. "Hey kid, I'm gonna ask you one thing. What is the color of my horns?"

Silence descended between them as they all stared at the child. The Kitsune swore softly. This was getting complicated really fast. They could have just glamored the boy's mind to make this all seem like a bad dream but of course the hot head just had to throw this money wrench into the plan.

"Dammit Tetsu, you don't have to do this."

"Kid answer me; what is the color of my horns?"

* * *

It was a bizarre question, coming from the monster. Chris couldn't believe his ears. Why was he asking for his horns? Didn't he know what his own horns looked like?

"Dammit Tetsu, you don't have to do this."

He turned a fraction to the big black man, and the blonde girl holding on to him. They looked worried.

"Kid answer me; what is the color of my horns?"

He gasped and jerked back to it, swallowing. His horns? He didn't have any horns. All Chris could see was his big teeth and his big red eyes…and so much black. It was like smoke all over him, like he was on fire. He didn't have any – no wait! There…they were tiny and he couldn't really see them, not by actually looking at them. He frowned and looked past the smoke and shadows.

_Gold – your horns are really shiny_.

It was as if he'd passed some sort of test. The monster let him go and the smoke disappeared. But he was still scary, just not evil scary.

"Well that's interesting. It's all right now; we're not going to hurt you."

The big black guy was no longer a guy. His body was changing, like gold dust was swirling around him. And then, he was a really big wolf with pure white fur. It was the most beautiful creature Chris had ever seen. Forgetting his fear, his predicament, he reverently reached out to touch it.

_Wow…_

"So you can see us, and we can hear you. And you're human."

"It's okay Chuckles, you can come down now," the monster called up into the sky. There was a flutter of wings and Chris looked up, just in time to see the bird flying over their heads. Only it jumped down and landed as a girl. It was her! She was the one screaming, the one that he came to help.

This was all ridiculous. How could they hear him?

_You were a bird – you just jumped down._

His eyes moved from the girl, to the wolf, to the monster and the other girl.

_What are you people?_

The wolf laughed and shook itself, changing back to a man. So did the monster. He was young, much younger than big brother, and skinny and kind of dorky looking. All four of them looked at each other before turning back to him, and then the big guy shrugged.

"I guess introductions are in order. But you first. What's your name kid?"

_Chris – Chris Orcot._


	8. Chapter 8

Housekeeping!

So this is a wee bit chapter. But in the words of Madame Pompadour,

_au reste, après nous, le Déluge_

_Warnings for some potty-mouthed - ness._

**Manifest**

"Okay kiddo, strawberry vanilla for you and double chocolate for me."

Leon handed his little brother the preferred ice cream cone, leading him away from the cart's wheels to the sidewalk. They perched on the concrete benches erected across the cart, taking in their sweet treat, the breezy summer day, and the constant traffic of people walking around them. Or in his case, checking out all the short skirts, short shorts and long legs on parade.

It was summer after all.

He had almost forgotten why this was his favorite season of the year. Yeah, too many hours down in 'evidence' does that to a guy. But it all things worked for good; he was able to cajole one of his buddies to let him tag along tomorrow when they went in to catalog the last stuff from the apartment. The run around was necessary since without his badge, he had no right going near there in the first place. As much as he needed to figure all of this shit out, he had to be careful to limit his presence around the case. The last thing Leon needed was for the two stooges to catch wind of him snooping around and shut him out for good. A quick stop at the hospital showed that Jill's condition had been upgraded from critical to serious but stable. She was still being monitored round the clock but it seemed like she was pulling through. That was one silver lining he could do with. Leon sighed and glanced sideways at the boy slurping on his ice cream.

Chris stared off into space as usual but there was a small smile on his face. This had to be his worst Summer vacation ever, the older Orcot mused, but the kid was such a trooper. Initially Leon had serious misgivings about asking Macy to watch over his brother – what with her reputation around the block – but desperate times had called for desperate measures. But now it looked like they really got along. He munched on the tail of his cone thoughtfully. He ought to make it up to her though, maybe ask her on a date.

It wasn't like he had a bunch of those line up these days. Leon stared glumly at his fast melting chocolate and shook his head. When was the last time he went on a date anyway? Ages and ages ago...a double date if he remembered. He and that wise ass J- Justin? Or was it Jason?

Chris savored his ice cream for as long as he could. This was one of those things his aunt only let them have when they went out to eat at restaurants. They didn't eat out much back home. And he was mildly 'lactose intolerant' so they had to be careful what kinds of dairy products he got to eat. But soy ice cream doesn't taste like regular ice cream. A woman passed by in front of them, running after her dog. It was very tall, almost as tall as him, with lots of thick white fur. It reminded him of Ten-Chan and his new friends.

The last of his ice cream melted down his throat, only now he had a funny feeling in his stomach. He looked up at his big brother and Leon smiled at him, ruffling his head.

"Want another one?"

He shook his head; the feeling in his stomach was getting worse. Have you ever had something you wanted to say to someone, but just don't know how? Because they won't believe you, no matter how you try to say it? Because there is no right way to say it...

By the time Macy came back from the interview he was back inside and watching television. They had Chinese food for lunch and a few hours later big brother came back and too him home. They made bake your own veggie pizza for dinner. He didn't say anything about going out to the park and when big brother asked what he'd done all he said was watch T.V

That was a lie, and lying is always a bad thing but...

Chris thought about his new friends, Pon-Chan, Ahere, T-chan and Ten-Chan. Of course he had been nearly scared to death in the park when he thought T-chan was going to hurt him. But then it turned out that they were all really nice. A little scary but nice. And he could see them! That made him very special. Ten-Chan said that not everyone could see all the things he saw.

_Every creature has a second form that remains hidden from man...well almost every creature except for some very dumb slugs and one French cat named Jean-Claude but I digress. Higher creatures like ourselves are able to take up our second form and let people see us when we want to. It is the only way we have survived among man. But of course people only see what we want them to see. You, on the other hand, see us for exactly who we are._

Chris didn't know which was more awesome, that he could see them, or that they could hear him! He didn't know how or why but they could hear him loud and clear, as if he was actually talking. No one had ever been able to do that – not his aunt and not his big brother. He knew that it was all weird and probably crazy; when he thought about it, it didn't seem weird but when he thought about telling his brother, then it just was. And unbelievable.

_Big brother I made four new friends a few days ago; Ten-Chan, Pon-Chan, T-Chan and Ahere. Ten-Chan's a Kitsune, they're foxes only he's really bigger, like a wolf, and has white fur and nine tails. Yeah, Nine! But T-Chan is like-like a cross between a sheep and a tiger and-and really big teeth. Pon-Chan is really a raccoon and Ahere is a baby owl. Oh I know it sounds crazy but they are really nice! But I can't prove it to you because you can't see them like I do. _

Leon would think he was going crazy; he'd say something to their Aunt and then she'd make him go back to talking to Dr Myers at the clinic. He really didn't want to go back to the clinic. Not to mention that he'd gone off on his own without permission. He'd have to explain all of that and probably get Macy in trouble too. Big brother would never let him go to the park anymore and he'd never see his new friends again.

And Chris wanted to see them again. It has been so long since he'd wanted to talk and play with anyone. Since anyone had wanted to talk and play with him. So, he swallowed his words and shifted closer to his brother. Somehow he had to keep all of this from Leon.

And keep lying to his big brother.

The feeling in his stomach grew worse.

* * *

"So Count D, what's this about?"

Ten-Chan's voice was a careful modulation of genial humor and mild curiosity. It perfectly masked the knot of tension in his gut. Next to him, his usual partner in crime was doing his best to make his slouch even more slouchy while his mind raced to provide the least troublesome explanation for their shenanigans.

The Count peered at them from above the rim of his teacup. "Don't think I haven't being paying attention to you two these past few weeks."

They stiffened for an instant but the pair haven't lasted this long by being pushovers.

"Really, so you got the drop on us. How long have you known?"

He shrugged lightly and set the China down. "Almost from the outset, although I was surprised by how easily you drew Pon-chan into your plot. I thought I could always depend on her to be the voice of reason behind my back."

His po faced stare made them squirm uncomfortably as silence descended on the gathering. After a long moment, T-chan cleared his throat.

"So you knew all along. All right I just want to make it clear right now that it was his idea."

He jerked an accusing finger the Kitsune's way and the latter blanched. "My idea? You turn tail bastard!"

"Hey!"

"Language Ten-Chan," the steward admonished reprovingly and he deflated into the couch.

"We got into this together Count! It was definitely a joint plan."

His protest met with silence on both ends and he sighed. "Look we only had the best intentions. We just wanted to break Ahere out of her shell –"

"And I'm grateful for that," Count D cut in.

" – And then it kinda went outta control," the Totetsu grumbled under his breath. "Wait, what?"

"You're grateful," Ten-Chan intoned as they stared at him.

"Yes." Count D sighed and shifted closer. "Ahere had a hard time of it before she joined us here at the pet shop and adjusting has been difficult. I admit that I have not given her the proper kind of attention..." he drifted off and looked away.

"Come on Count, you've been extra busy."

"Yeah, folk have been streaming in here non stop."

He shook his head with a sad smile. "That is no excuse. Everyone who joins us deserves my undivided attention. Nonetheless you three stepped in to fill the need. You have welcomed and embraced Ahere, encouraged her to open up and she feels very comfortable with you."

The pair coughed and shifted, eyeing each other.

"You did not have to go so far but you have, and I am not the only one who has taken notice of your actions. In fact, Grandfather was commenting about the very same thing earlier this morning."

"Um, it's no big deal Count," Ten-Chan mumbled, looking away from the smiling steward.

"Yeah and Ahere's a good kid, the Totetsu added, scratching his ankle.

"I just want you to know that I am so very proud of you." With characteristic grace, Count D slid off his chair and gave them both a long hug. "And dear Pon-chan too. She is taking her nap now but I will let her know later – I also have her favorite cake."

He beamed at them and got to his feet. "That is all I wanted to say." But there was something about the uneasy expression on their faces that made him hesitate. It was only for a moment and it passed, so he shrugged it away.

They watched him return into the shop as the silence thickened.

"So, feeling guilty too?"

Ten-Chan nudged the Totetsu and he scoffed.

"Feh, I'm too old to feel guilty."

True enough, he mused, after a while petty emotions like guilt cease to matter. With age comes wisdom; experiences gives you the ability to live with the consequences of your action.

"Besides, we're doing this for all the right reasons. You heard the Count, he's happy, Sofu- D's happy and the kid is happy." T-Chan paused and corrected himself. "Well _happier_ than when she first came here."

They both reflected on that. There were some wounds that no amount of time or care could heal. That was something the two were all too akin of, and perhaps it was that shared knowledge that made them so invested in Ahere. It takes a level of strength to accept one's lot and deal with it; they came to that awareness after years and years of doing everything – anything – to numb the pain. Most of it the wrong kind of medicine. The shop and its inhabitants had definitely helped them to ease the misery and choose different paths for the future but nothing could stop those odd nights of jerking out of nightmares and bad memories...or the phantom pain that throbbed like a severed limb. But Ahere was young, far younger, and there was just the shot of a chance that the healing could start that much sooner.

Her bad nights could be even fewer than theirs.

Ten-Chan chuckled and shook his head. "Don't make it sound so uncomplicated."

"It is uncomplicated!" The Totetsu snapped.

"And the human child – "

" The human child is good." He growled with finality.

Good. A heart unsullied, a pure soul. That rare and startling thing when it came to his mad race. Live long enough and you stop believing such a thing existed. It was a good thing Totetsu are as uncompromising in their judgment as they are implacable in vengeance. It was a mercy that they wouldn't never have the trouble of finding out what could have happened otherwise. Chris saved more than just himself in that park.

"Chuckles likes him, Pon-Chan will vouch for him and so will I."

Ten-Chan cocked his head to the side, giving his partner an honest appraisal. "So do I Totetsu, I just wonder how the story will play out when _he_ finally gets wind of it."

"What are you really scared of, eh _Kyubi_? Good is good and bad is bad, that never we must never forget that."

He shrugged in acquiescence, chuckling with the incredulity of it all.

When the Kyubi plays the devil and the Totetsu becomes an advocate...

"Good is good and bad is bad. When you put it that way, it really isn't complicated."

T-Chan nodded and got to his feet. "That's all that matters."

* * *

_Bright lights. Harsh bright lights. It hurt to open her eyes – it hurt to do anything. _

_Snap! _

_Whirring noise above her head. Sharp and cold, the air was so cold. Every now and then shadows danced over the lights, moving so slow, bigger than her. The shadows swallowed her and spat her back over and over again._

_Snap!_

_Strange hands all over her body. Hands with no feeling – why can't she open her eyes?_

_Whir, click._

_Pain!_

_Sharp, white hot, brighter than the lights. Through her wings, where they should be but no longer. She tried to scream but no sounds came out. No strength, her body was no longer her own._

_Silence, darkness._

_Bright lights. Harsh bright lights. Shadows, pain, silence and darkness. Again and again._

_Crash!_

_Sound, so much sound. It was screaming and wailing and tearing through her head. Bright lights, dark lights, the air was moving so fast. It banged through the space, blew against her feathers. _

_Silence. No pain, no lights. Just sweet silence. And then hands. She lay between the hands and it got warmer. No more pain, just...warm._

_Click_

_Something – her wings! She could feel her wings again._

"_Shhh, stay still little one, it'll only be a minute more."_

_Soft, gentle...her bones turned soft as the warm seeped inside. It was blood and fire and..._

_So very kind._

"_There we are."_

_Click_

_Colors dancing inside her head, over her head. Smells, taste._

_Night, dark, outside._

"_Rest now, you'll need to recover some of your strength. There's a bit of a journey left for you. Over the mountains and the desert, it'll be hard flying I'm afraid...but once you get there, then you'll be safe and happy."_

_Safe...happy._

"_Yes, safe and happy. No more hunters or pain...just laughter and friends. But you mustn't remember any of this just yet; I can't have you ruining my plans after all. Besides, I'm sure we can both agree that much of this ordeal is better left forgotten. "_

_She tried to open her eyes but it was so hard._

"_Now sleep."_


	9. Chapter 9

Housekeeping!

This is one of those 'cusp' kinda chapters. It really sets the stage for the rest of the story

(Or at least, it should.)

Things are gonna get interesting very fast.

I confess, Sofu-D is my least familiar character in the main cast. I tried to be as close to depiction as possible.

(Please let me know how close I am and how much work I need to do.)

Warning: slight potty mouth ness.

**Clang**

Leon peered across the road from his strategic position in the cafe. It paid to be at the right place at the right time. Thanks to an inconvenient series of murders two days before, the plan to clear out Delaney's apartment was put on the back burner for more immediate homicides. There he was, on the way to cajole another promise for a future ride along when, would ya know, Bowerman comes striding into the elevator. Bowerman, the lead detective they reassigned to his case. The idiot was either blind or stupid because he didn't notice that Leon was right behind him, and those smart phones can really loud even when on speaker. Really loud.

And so he was able to hear the other guy on the phone say that the they'd gotten a hit on the mystery woman in Martin's apartment. Thanks to the recent efforts to streamline police information statewide, there was increased cooperation between city departments and the more rural departments. It had taken some time but eventually they found a police report filed in a small county five years ago. It was DUI which escalated when the the responding officer was attacked. Anyway her prints were in the system and they had positive ID. Stella Brinks was 26 now, he was sending her mug shot to the phone.

Armed with her name, it was now a simple matter of pulling that information on his own, cross checking through the DMV to get Stella Brinks' current address. That turned out to be an apartment block actually not too far from his house. She wasn't home; Bowerman and Co were parked out in front of the building, clearly lying in wait until the girl came back. He'd taken pains not to be noticed by the pair, preferring to sit it out in the Starbucks across the street.

Leon took a swig of his coffee and pulled a face. Why does it always have to taste burned*? Well at least he now had a lead to pursue. Perhaps this Stella could give him some answers or at least insight into Martin.

One cup of coffee, two lattes, two scones and four hours later, Stella was still a no show and he was more jacked up than the Energizer bunny. Bowerman had long left, conscripting the junior partner to watch duty in his absence. he in turn had come to the quick conclusion that this was going to be a long one and gone looking across the street for lunch. Leon watch him abandon his post with a grim smile and shook his head. What did they teach these kids at the academy anymore?

But perhaps Karma was on his side because not long after he spotted the familiar looking woman walking toward the apartment block. Leon hastily exited the coffee shop, he caught up to her just as the front door began swinging shut.

"Stella Brinks?"

She turned around with a slight frown. "Yeah, who are you?"

Stella had done a makeover since her license picture was taken; her dark brown hair was now a bleach blonde, glasses discared in favor of tinted contact lenses. She also didn't look well, he mused, the peaked face, raw nose and dull eyes indicative of a bout of flu.

"My name is Luke I'm a friend of Martins."

Her eyes sharpened with that name, he watched tension fill her stance as she shifted from foot to foot. "What sort of game is Marty playing? I haven't heard from him in weeks now! Where is he? He's not picking up his phone or answering my texts."

She didn't know. They'd kept a tight leash on this investigation since everything went south but it was obvious that the last time Stella saw Martin, he was very much alive and kicking.

Leon looked her closely in the eye. "Are you his girlfriend?"

"Well yeah!" She looked away and sighed, dragging a hand through her hair. "Sort of, I guess. We've never actually..." She stiffened and turned back his way. "Wait a minute, what's this about?"

Leon glanced at the door. He had only a small of opportunity to question her before the other guys came in and busted his cover. They had to get out of here.

"I- Marty's dead."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, it happened a few weeks ago. It was an accident."

Which was all he could divulge about the circumstances surrounding Martin's demise.

"I-I can't believe it."

He watched her absorb this news with shock as she stared at him for several seconds, until the sound of descending feet pierced the silence as a group of young people came streaming into the lobby.

"Do you think we can go somewhere a little more private?"

Stella blinked and nodded distractedly, looking up toward the stairs. "Y-yes." She led him up and to her apartment door with mechanical movements, clearly still in a daze. It took two tries to get her key through the knob and open the door. Leon looked around him once she let him through. It was a typical apartment setting; one and a half sofa plus entertainment center in the livingroom, dining table, kitchen all fitting into one large space thanks to wall dividers. She sank into the couch with a loud gasp and he took the opposite chair.

"Marty's dead...th-that's why he hasn't been picking my calls. How did this happen?"

"It was a mugging gone wrong, he was caught in the cross fire. I'm sorry for your loss."

She looked up with a short laugh and shook her head. "It's not like that. We haven't really known each other that long, ya know? I mean, not long enough for it to matter...not like his parents or f-friends...it'll really be a loss for them. I'm just - I'm hit but I wasn't really his girlfriend, not yet at least. I thought we would get there but huh.."

She was rambling now; he had to bring her back on track, even though it was to a difficult topic.

"How long did you know Marty?"

"A few months, three or four. We met at work, at Dante."

"Dante?"

She nodded and rubbed her face. "Yeah, they were having a casting call for bar tenders and waiters. I know, who has a casting call for a club? But they're like totally anal about everything. You have to be like, fucking perfect or something to work there."

Leon made sympathetic sounds, shelving this bit of information for later. "But Marty's a lawyer."

"Well yeah, but he's also the business manager for Dante. He sets up everything in there, like he told me once that all Kona has to do is literally dole out the cash."

"Kona?"

"He owns the club, and his boyfriend Zai. He's a total_ bitch_. After the casting was done, they came in to look at us. Literally, we stood on parade and he just looked at us. Anyone Zai liked got the job and those he didn't, they got let off. I remember he didn't like me but Marty spoke up for me. That was why..." Now the tears began to gather and fall. she blinked them away and cleared her throat. Leon noticed she was looking even paler than before.

"Can I get you something, water, tea?"

Stella smiled faintly and reached into her tote for a water bottle. "I'm on this detox cleanse, it's all I can have." She shook the contents of the flask and took a small sip.

Leon leaned a little closer. "Pardon my asking but when was the last time you actually saw Marty?"

"Thursday...a few weeks ago now. We were supposed to go to Vegas together for the weekend. He was able to take a couple days off before Dante officially opens. We had lunch together at his place, he packed and then we came here together. He just had to finish a few things at the Club and then spend the night here. So when I didn't hear from him for so long I began to worry. I asked Kona about it on Monday but he hadn't seen Marty either."

Thursday - Marty was already in the morgue by early Friday morning. She could as well been the last person to see him before he died. In a manner of speaking.

"So you're a friend of Marty's?"

He made a sound of assent. "Yeah, I got a call from the police about what happened. They were looking for someone to notify - thank God he had his cell phone with him. Anyway, your number was right after mine and I just thought... I'm sorry, Marty never mentioned he was seeing anyone. You know how he can be sometimes."

"Yeah, Marty is always the introvert. Was," she corrected and more tears threatened to fall. "He never really talked much about himself. One time he let it slip that he had family in Atlanta but whenever I asked about them he'd change the subject. I don't think he liked his past much..." Her voice cracked and she dashed her eyes across her sleeve.

Leon kept his face carefully neutral as he got to his feet. It was time to leave. "I should leave, I just wanted to let you know because... I figured the police would try to contact you, and well they kinda blindsided me with a bunch of questions so I thought the next person could be better prepared.

She nodded and stood as well. "No thank you, really. If you hadn't...I still would have been wondering what happened. D-what about the funeral arrangements?"

He shrugged lightly. "Um...the police said they aren't finished investigating. Trying to catch the mugger, they said. They'll be contacting his family to retrieve his body."

She shuddered a little with his last word and pursed her lips. "Well could you let me know if you get word? I'-I'd like to pay my respects."

"Yeah, definitely. I have your number now."

Stella smiled faintly. "Yeah, I guess you do."

As he walked to the door, she called him back.

"Wait."

She hurried into the bedroom and quickly returned with a carry on bag. "This was his, for our trip. But he's not gonna make it. What should I do with it?"

Leon stared at the bag. He couldn't take it, not when it could potentially tie him back to an investigation he wasn't supposed to be conducting. "I think you should keep it. Marty would have wanted that."

Stella hesitated but then shook her head. "But it would only keep reminding me of him. I'm gonna get rid of it."

"Wait!" He pulled back his outstretched hand. "I mean, there could be something important there..." God, there was no way not to feel like a total bastard pushing her on like this but he had to go on. She considered this for a moment and put the bag on the dining table. Leon leaned closer, peering in as she opened it. It was full of folded up clothes, toiletries, a few changes of underwear, several brightly colored condom packets...typical weekend getaway gear. Then he noticed the outside side pocket. There was something peeking out. Stella was too preoccupied with the contents of the bag to note the deft sleight of hand that casually moved over the bag and to his pocket.

"I guess not."

She pulled a face and shrugged. "Yeah, it was just as well."

But she was still staring into the bag when he quietly made his leave.

Leon was back in his car and a good distance from her apartment before he inspected the find in his pocket. It was a single key, with a numbered label. This looked familiar and he turned it around several times, trying to figure out why.

"Oh, right!"

It looked like a post office box key. He sighed and settled back in his seat. So Marty liked to keep his mail separate. From what Stella said and he knew from the prior investigation, this guy was a sly piece of work with a lot of secrets. What else did he have to hide?

Leon chewed his lip as he stared at the key. One way to start was to trace the serial number on the key. Of course he'd need a proper warrant from there on... or he could just track around the Post offices close to where Marty lived and worked, one of them was bound to have this key lock. Now some would call that illegal or bad policing work, not to mention any evidence uncovered would be inadmissible in court.

Fruit of the poisonous tree was the legal term, if he remembered.

Except, who were they going to charge in the first place? A guy who was pronounced dead and disemboweled forty eight hours before the crime? Right now this was more about finding answers than finding a killer. He sighed and rubbed his face, sitting straighter to turn on the ignition.

Besides, he'd already started this off the wrong way. In for a penny...

* * *

"Duck, duck goose..."

Sofu-D watched from his favorite seat as the young huddle scattered in a burst of shrieks and giggles while the 'fox' tried so hard to tag his grandson. Playtime was a daily essential in the Shop; serving not only to engage the younglings who spent so much time cooped up in their apartments, but also to socialize their minds to skills they will invariably need when they left the keep. They had a record number of children this year, mostly thanks to the influx of occupants.

_Regardless of where one was, Spring time would always be Spring time_.

A faint smile touched his lips as his grandson expertly swooped in for the kill with his intended 'goose' and reclaimed the latter's position in the circle. It was incredible, how he managed everyone and every detail of the shop - their charges were always catered to, stocks efficiently ordered and the books diligently maintained, all while maintaining rapport with everyone one and keeping the oft fragile peace in their environment. These days Sofu-D felt his presence was more for moral weight.

Could he do an even better job?

The answer was no. Of all the stewards he knew his grandson was the most able. He peered into his tea cup reflectively. When he had taken on this responsibility, it had come out of sheer necessity. Even though the elements of this duty – being a handler, caregiver and peacemaker –were part of his own nature, there was so much more involved with being steward of this Shop. And all of this he had been forced to literally learn on the job. Of course many of his peers would have considered this position a severe diminishing of his true purpose. Well, if there were any left. Sadness glimmered in his eyes for an instant but he blinked it away. He'd had no choice but to learn, if not for the survival of his charges, then for his. Because having a purpose, _finding_ a purpose, gives one reason to exist. And sometimes that is enough.

If only it had been that simple when it came to his son. Sofu-D's grip on the delicate China tightened. Being steward of the ship – being so depended upon and needed – had given him a reason far greater than himself, a reason to live for others. How Sofu-D had tried to make him see, that more could be more important than keeping these doors open? That if they didn't, then there was literally no one else to accept this responsibility. But eventually, it was more of a battle than a lesson. Over the many years, as often as his heart and mind could bear, he had thought about his offspring. In doing that he had to look past the heartache, the anger and recrimination; after all, it is in the divine nature to be objective. Going over the many memories, Sofu-D tried to find the answer to one question.

What had he done wrong?

It was a matter of consternation, not to mention shame, that his only offspring would turn out so...not like him. They were genetically identical and, thanks to their ancestral heritage, they shared the same memories of their history. It was the blueprint replicated, and yet father and son could not be any more radically different. His son refused to accept the notion that the Shop was their only reality, all there was in the world. His was a mind always standing at the threshold, looking out. And the more Sofu-D tried to turn him away, the more resistance he faced, and the more the streak of defiance grew in the child. He wanted to fly the coop, to see the world, despite of everything Sofu-D told him about what was really out there.

Loss, senseless loss and destruction. The world was not safe, not happy. Man had taken and would continue to take until there was nothing, no one left. There was no respite from the inevitable, no haven, no sanctuary. Save for theirs. But it made no difference and so, in capitulation, Sofu-D let him go. He had hoped that a dose of reality would cure his son of his illusions; he would see the world for what it is and come back home.

So he left, he traveled the world, went to university. And then he came back, but something had changed. He was a little more reserved, a little more thoughtful. Whatever lesson he had learned out there Sofu-D could only imagine.

Perhaps some truths can only be known by experience. He had learned his the hard way, after all.

Only it was not the end, but rather the beginning.

"All right now, I think we've had enough play time for today...How about dinner?"

He looked up as the huddle broke and they all streamed into the shop, calling for their individual mothers. Count D shook his head indulgently as he set about rearranging the space. His hair fell over his face like a curtain as he stooped to retrieve some fallen cushions and he absently swept it away. It was growing out now, some inches longer than the short bob he usually favored. As he turned toward the light Sofu-D was struck anew by what a difference those few inches made to his features.

It seemed like just yesterday now. He remembered that day, when his son calmly announced that it was his time. This was at a period when things between them had been at a contentious high. His son had taken to spending days, even weeks away from the Shop. There was no notice, he would simply walk out, and there was no explanation when he returned. The announcement had come rather as a surprise to Sofu-D; of course he had always known in the back of his mind that this would happen but the prospects of his son bringing life to the world...well, there are some things that a parent can never be too prepared for.

But it had all been uneventful, unexpectedly so. And at last, his grandson was born. Sofu -D remembered that stormy Winter night, at the foot of the Qilian Mountains, when he handed the infant to his father. He remembered the long, still moment when his son held on to his child and looked into his eyes. The words he whispered in the Old tongue.

_For you, let the world burn._

He remembered his relief and hope. Certainly this, above all else, would ground his son. This responsibility would keep him stable, now that he had someone looking solely to him. And it seemed to work. For years he was content to stay at home and devote all of his attention to the child. He took up more of a role in the Shop without being asked and without complaining. It was then Sofu-D considered that it may have been the sense of duty, and not the task itself, that his son baulked against. Nonetheless, they were all together and everything was good.

For twelve years everything was good. And then Spring came, and his son once again began leaving the Shop. At first it was for a few hours every now and then, but very quickly his trips got longer and the periods he spent at home farther between. When he returned, often late into the night, it was always with that dreamy expression, that distracted smile. But he was neglecting his duties at the Shop, and worse, his duty to his child. When Sofu-D confronted him about his actions, it was to no avail.

_Think about your son, think what you're doing to him!_

_Believe me father, I'm thinking about him. I've tried to do right by him, for so long I thought I was. But that was a lie._

And that was when he finally learned the root of his son's torment. Vesca Howell.

_I love him father._

_How can you say such a thing? You love this-this human more than your own child?!_

It had first seemed like a ludicrous joke, until the die. Until the day his son walked out of the Shop, walked out on his son, and broke his father's heart. Their peace was shattered forever but it was up to him to pick up the pieces. After all, who else was going to take care of the child?

Sofu-D stared sightlessly at his long cold tea as the world brimmed over.

"Grandfather, I must go to the bakery. We are running low on tarts and they have been my most effective weapon bribing the Murder**. I shall not be long."

He looked up, nodded and finally set the teacup down. "Very well grandson, take care."

_The Wheel turns and turns._

He watched as his grandson exited the Shop. How much time had passed in the blink of an eye. He was a child only as a manner of description.

"It will not be long now," Sofu-D whispered into the quiet room.

_Grandfather, I believe it is time._

The Eldest Count flinched from the specter and shook his head. It seemed the child was the Universe's recompense for all of his heartache. His grandson had given him no trouble growing up...but he could not but remember the incidence of a few months ago.

That unexpected defiance, the stubborn set of his jaw. So very reminiscent. Was that a foretaste of things to come?

Sofu-D had taught him as best as he could, pouring all that was left into this task. And the child had learned admirably. He could as well have fathered two sons, even if one was the prodigal. Except he did not.

He sighed softly and leaned forward, cradling his face in his hands. As much as he loved his grandson the child was, and would always be, his father's son. He wondered, just how far from the tree will this fruit eventually fall?

* * *

Count-D moved his bag of goodies from arm to arm as he struggled to cross the major intersection. It was heavier than usual and that was partly his fault; pumpkin spice shortbread was back! Those fiendish bakers intentionally rolled out this favorite treat for only three weeks. Pumpkin spice shortbread sold out very quickly – if he didn't get it now, who knew when next he would have the time to come this way? Besides everyone in the Shop loved the shortbread, he better stock up. That was his excuse for ordering enough to feed a small army.

And now, he was paying the price. He shouldn't be lingering on the long walk home, not with this burden, but the sun was setting. Few places could rival the beauty of a San Francisco sunset. One was Tasmania, another was the Atacama...but since neither could be reached without traveling to the nether side of the world, this would have to do. This part of the city was at the edge of a gentle depression and his view was a skyline unimpeded by rooftops, chimneys or the metal contraption also known as satellite dish. Ahead was a grassy knoll converted into a park. It was just the perfect place to enjoy the fleeting display. With this new goal in mind, he crossed off the usual path home and toward the light.

It was quiet, most mothers having whisked their charges off home. There was a trio of Yoga practitioners concentrating on Warrior II to his far left, several young people lay basking in the evening sun, but there was an empty bench just ahead. The Count settled down with a soft sigh and set his large package to his side, effectively occupying the space. Well, he could have a piece of shortbread... Sitting in the wake of the fading sun, with the cool breeze wafting from the sea, serenaded by the creeping chirp of crickets in the background, and nibbling on delicious baked treats. What more could he ask for?

By the time Count D shook himself back to awareness, the Yoga practitioners were gone and the streetlights were blinking into existence. He got to his feet and hefted his bag - at least it was a shortbread or two lighter – and began contemplating what was waiting at the Shop. Inventory would have to be made to account for the coming Season and the change in dietary needs of some of his charges. And then he really had to tackle the apiary: the swarm will be gracing them with Her presence over the winter. One could never prepare too early for a swarm of primordial giant bees.

The figure on the bench to the left looked familiar – that was the only reason his gaze drifted in the first place. He was bent over, head lowered at the ground. It must have been the flaxen hair that caught his attention. And he turned aside just as the latter looked up. Their eyes met, both mirroring recognition, surprise and wariness.

Well, it would be rude not to, so he stopped.

"Why if it isn't Detective Orcot. Fancy meeting you here of all places.'

The other man's eyebrows immediately snapped into a frown as he looked around. "That's my line Count. And last I checked, this is a public space. What are you doing here?"

The Count shrugged airily. "Not having clandestine assignations where I chivy small children into unmarked vans for destinations across the border, if that is what you are wondering. And you, shouldn't you be out there harassing the public in the name of justice and order?"

The human opened his mouth, made a split second decision, and swallowed whatever retort he had been preparing. He shook his head slightly. "Get out of my face D."

"Must I remind you yet again, Detective Orcot, that my name is Count-D?"

"No one's name is _Count_, and why are you so pressed about some fricking title anyway?"

Fricking title...the noble cognomen of a divine bloodline, bestowing honor, recognition and duty, and he calls it a 'fricking title.'

"All right fine, Count-D. Don't throw a hissy fit or anything." The human sighed and waved in the forward direction. "Look I'm not out looking to bust you or anything, I'm not even on duty. Just go on, do whatever you do, and be someone else's problem tonight."

_Someone else's problem._

That statement was enough to make him pause. The Count thought back to the fiery eyed menace who had been waving a badge under his nose not too long ago, as though it was his mandate to bring brimstone thunder and the pillars of the Heavens crashing over the Shop. That intuitive knowledge that he was on the right of whatever moral leverage stood between them, even if he didn't know or comprehend what was _the wrong in the first place_, and that had been enough to on. One of the fruits of Divinity was understanding of even human nature; and from what the Count understood of this human's nature, his chosen battle would never be passed off as someone else's problem.

What else had the godling J.C erased, along with those troublesome memories, from this man?

The detective noticed the protracted silence, and his scrutiny no doubt.

"What, got something to say?"

Count D took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes. He would not stoop to playing this child's game. "How is your brother...Chris?"

The human was unprepared for this change of tack, and he savored the tiny victory while the latter tried to recover.

"He's okay...why you asking?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Since you went to the trouble of introducing us, it is customary that I ask after his health. I also noticed that he is not in your company."

The detective snorted indelicately. "Yeah right, like you really care. You don't even like me, remember?."

"Oh I try not to visit the ineptitude of the older brother upon the younger."

The human gaped at him for a long moment. His eyes blazed like the heart of a furnace, rising and building...and then suddenly the heat died. The Count watched him comport himself with unusual and unnatural ease.

"Really Count-D, why are you here?"

He got to his feet, wincing with the cracking report of joints and bones. "And why am I listening to all this instead of getting my ass home? You know what, I don't even care about whatever the hell you're up to..."

They both stared at the offered object for a heartbeat, Count-D wondering when and how his hand had moved entirely of its own volition. The warm aroma of pumpkin spice wafted into the evening.

"What's that?"

He glanced at the shortbread and back up to the human. "Generosity...believe me, I would not try to poison you with that."

Detective Orcot gave the harmless pastry another critical look before gingerly accepting it. He took a small nibble. "It's not laced with drugs or anything."

Count-D huffed impatiently. "Tell me, do you by any chance catch the aftertaste of almonds in your mouth? I am sure the bakery leaves out cyanide from the list of ingredients."

Their eyes met as he said that; the detective rolled his and shoved the rest into his mouth. "Whatever, can't be too sure with you. Anyway, I'm out of here. I guess thanks for the cake."

He watched the human's retreating back with a growing frown. Something had changed with him; there was a fundamental wrongness about this man now and it had not been there before. But more than noticing that, why did it even matter? He stared at his free hand and clenched it into a tight fist.

The mind and the spirit usually speak with the same voice. It does not matter, it _should no_t matter, whatever was wrong with the detective. It was a consequence of the memory tampering. The man will not even notice the infinitesimal shift.

So where had it come from, the irrational urge to _do something_?

* * *

On his way back to the apartment Leon ruminated on his day. On one hand it had been very productive, since following the ill-gotten tip had led to many answers. The problem was that those answers were only creating more questions for him. Leon had thought that finding the mystery woman would bring him closure about the Martin's death but it only curious points about the guy's life. And by the end of the day the detective was even more curious. The more he found out about Delaney, the more he believed that maybe he was looking at it the wrong way. This whole time his investigation had been focused on Martin's death. Since that was kind of stalled, how about he looked a bit farther back than that?

He had followed his gut about the mail box key and it turned out that there was a post office located close to Delaney's apartment. He found the box number that corresponded with the key and voila!

There were only three items in that narrow space; a brown paper envelope and two square objects wrapped really tight. Leon had nearly lost his eyeballs when he opened the envelope. It was filled with clean hundred dollar bills, three wads of at least fifty thousand each. He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry, and gingerly folded the envelope back. The other items were passports, one American and the other definitely fake because he doubted Martin had dual citizenship and lived his other life as Enrique Soarez.

A ton of money and a fake passport also translated as planning to leave the country, preferably through the South border to places without US extradition agreements. It looked like Martin was getting ready to skip town, but what about all that stuff with Stella? Leon was willing to bet the grieving almost-girlfriend didn't know about this arrangement. The question now was, did death come in the way or was that always part of Martin's plan?

And that also brought up another question. The guy was not only adept at playing a very convincing Lazarus, he was also really good at being a ghost. Which only increased the irony. The fact was, despite very determined efforts by the PD, there was no sign of Martin living, dead or in between. He was just...gone and it was a source of frustration for a lot of people who really had grand plans for him. You don't go after a cop – top brass for that matter – and think a little thing like death is gonna keep you safe. Hell no! They want to see the body, kill it dead, burn it down and then piss in the ashes. So where was Martin?

Leon returned everything the way it was, wiping for prints of course. One of two things was gonna happen; either Brickman and Co, would eventually blunder their way into this or the ghost of Martin will come for his getaway stash. Either way, he was going to be watching and waiting.

And then the more obvious question – where the hell did Martin get this much cash in the first place? Ever since deviating from his original vocation, Delaney had made a small killing as a CPA and private legal adviser. According to Stella, his most recent gig was setting up club Dante.

_All Kona has to do is literally dole out the cash._

It was possible that Martin was skimming a from the accounts. Leon knew that people had been killed for that alone. Which brought back the annoying fact of how Martin had been killed. Why couldn't it have been a regular execution, hit and run, poison or forcibly assisted suicide?

The detective was pretty sure they didn't order the feline hit on Delaney but did they know he'd been stealing from them? He doubted they even knew the guy was dead or undead...still, it wouldn't hurt to ask them a few more questions about Martin.

He crossed the threshold into the apartment lobby, where the warm aroma of baking immediately assailed his senses.

Speaking of curious, what the hell was that all about with Count-D? Leon poked his stomach tentatively; so far, no tell tale quivering of the insides or any other iffy reactions to that shortbread. He didn't think the guy would just out n out poison him or anything but still...they weren't sworn enemies but he wouldn't exactly call them best friends either. Count-D had a serious case of chip on the shoulder rolled up in weird. Definitely weird. His gut just wouldn't rest about that. And it wasn't the average San Fran' weird either. It was the unclench, lose your balance for a moment because the back of your skull just joined the bottom of your stomach for a powwow under your shoe. And a little fear because you know you should be afraid, even if you don't know why. Too bad Leon's default response to fear was piss-off attitude. Which meant he couldn't resist getting into the girly China-man's face whenever they crossed paths.

Anyway, like he said, Count-D and his questionable shop could be someone else's problem for once. Tonight, he had other plans. Leon cleared the three flights of stairs to their apartment floor but rather than stop at his door, he moved a few more. It opened on the first knock.

_Big brother!_

He pretended to keel over from the small, quick mass that ran into his midriff.

"Ooompfh big guy, what did you have for lunch, rocks?"

Chris giggled as he was playfully hoisted into the air and over a shoulder.

"You been good?"

"He's the best."

They both turned aside as their hostess appeared from the kitchen.

"Hey."

Macy was draped in a kimono type robe; her hair was all done in curlers.

"Hey"

Leon slowly put his brother down and inched closer. "I just got in."

"I could tell," she grinned and touched one of the curlers. "I was just getting dressed."

He nodded and gestured toward the door. "Yeah I should go clean up..."

They had a date; nothing big, dinner and a movie since he could only be gone for a few hours. Hopefully Chris would be tuckered out enough to got to sleep once he got into bed. They slowly backed out of the apartment and he hustled his brother to theirs.

* * *

* No really, can someone tell me why?

** Well, what else would you call a bunch of loudmouth, pesky, thieving Crows?


	10. Chapter 10

**Housekeeping!**

And erm *cough* Happy New Year?

It's been a while...life tends to do that to writers. And writers' block too.

But my word is good! Take it to the bank and cash it in for two cents.

Another cusp chapter.

**Warnings: Pottymouthed-ness, smattering of limes, unwanted advances of the sexual nature...**

**Clatter**

Mouths fused together; tasting, lips and tongue melting together. Skin over bare skin, fitted so close it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. Hands eagerly exploring – a low moan of response as long nails raked over chiseled muscles, gripping possessively over firm buttocks – a soft whimper as hot lips trailed and descended over a delicate throat.

He arched and yielded to the seeking fingers, the probing touch that left fireworks all over his body. They slid up his thighs and he easily parted, relaxing as his legs rose up in the air and hooked over a supple shoulder –

He jerked off the bed with a strangled gasp, only to stare into the face of the waxing moon. Her serene gaze never wavered, and her smile was as distant as the Jade King's regard.

_What?_

_Why?_

All was quiet, there was nothing amiss. Silence pressed around him like a familiar blanket and the tension seeped out of his body. Sleep overwhelmed him within the space of the next heartbeat and he sank back to bed.

And while he slept, he forgot. A soft glow pulsed over his form; starting from his heart until it washed over his feet. It rippled over his skin and slowly sank into his bones. For one long moment he glowed brighter than the sun...

And over head the moon looked on.

* * *

"Grandfather, may I join you?"

Sofu-D inclined his head and gestured to the arm chair next to him. "Why, certainly grand-son."

They sat in companionable silence, sipping afternoon Oolong, while the younger D spread precious royal jelly over pumpkin bread and the delicate golden aroma of honey mingled with cinnamon and tea.

Count-D grudgingly admitted that perhaps there were some perks to hosting the primordial swarm after all, even if One had to put up with the vagaries of a _Gestalt_ with no concept of boundaries. Really! It put a literal meaning to bee in the underwear... No to mention Her daily list of demands! He didn't think it was possible to find someone with a sense of etiquette even higher than his grandfather. No wonder the Elder had pursed his lips when the royal emissaries had first darkened their doorsteps.

He glanced at his grandfather, intending to share an anecdote about their royal guest, but was startled by the wan expression on the latter's face.

Sofu-D stared at the piece of bread on his plate, a small frown marred the smooth plane of his brow.

"Grandfather, is everything all right?"

The Count blinked and looked his way; swirling gold eyes took him in with thoughtful assessment before turning back to the pastry with a deep sigh.

"Grandson, I would like to hear your...opinion on a matter."

Count-D froze in place, floored by this quiet statement. His wise and venerable grandfather wanted _his_ opinion? The ramifications were earth-shattering. He shook off the shock and sat straighter,

"I will do my best."

His grandfather nodded once and leaned closer. "First, let me..."

Those simmering amber eyes turned hot red as he extended a single digit in the space between them. In three quick flicks he drew a complex symbol and the younger scion watched as it hung suspended in the air, glowing a burned copper. Sofu-D's eyes slowly cooled to their normal state and he sat back with a satisfied smile.

"Now I can be sure it is truly private."

"Grandfather..."

There was a note of worry in his voice but the Kami shook his head.

"Tell me Grandson, have you noticed anything about the influx of creatures seeking refuge with us?"

Count-D considered the question a moment, inclining his head to he side. "Well...we have had to put up with a record number this year, and I expect that to increase when Winter arrives."

"Indeed, our numbers are more than double what we usually retain. And what is even more puzzling is that these are all new faces, like Ahere."

Now that he mentioned it...

"I did not pay attention to this...several of the house guests we have been receiving are creatures we ordinarily do not."

"Creatures we should not receive. Over the past three months, we have witnessed the resurrection of four different species otherwise extinct."

The younger Kami sat back with a dark frown. The revival of long lost creatures should be a thing of joy but upon introspection it begged more questions like why, and how?

"But what troubles me..."

He looked up to his grandfather, who cradled his face in his hands. "I struck a conversation with the Old Coyote two days ago."

The Old Coyote had come into the Shop with a trio of young pups. The silver white had caused quite a sensation not only because of his age – silver white was hard to come by – but also because his kind hadn't been encountered this side of the continent in centuries.

"Indeed?"

Sofu-D made a sound of assent. "From his condition it was obvious that they had been traveling for quite some time. I was curious of course as to their whereabouts but it was rather strange. The more I pressed, the harder it was for him to provide any details. The Old Coyote does not seem to remember anything beyond a few moons."

The Count stiffened. "He does not remember."

"He does not remember," the Elder intoned gravely and shifted in his seat. "That struck me as odd and rather familiar. We know of one more guest with such a tale to tell."

"Ahere."

"Our little owlet; but it is one thing for a child to have no memories..."

Count-D nodded slowly. "And another thing for an Old Coyote to suddenly forget. You believe these cases are connected." His bi-colored eyes focused sharply on his grandfather.

"The bullfrog croaks, and so does his cousin the toad; only by paying attention can one tell who calls for his mate, and who warns of a coming storm."

Every moment was a teaching moment.

Sofu-D sighed and shook his head. "I spent the past day inquiring among our recent guests, and it troubles me to say that several of them have the same condition.

It was almost unbelievable, the situation that was presenting itself before them. Count-D rubbed a shaky hand over his face even as his eyes followed the floating symbol. What sort of thing could make these creatures forget their pasts, their histories? Was it a natural phenomenon? He could not remember, not in his experience or the collective memory, such a case.

Was it man made then, another side effect of an increasingly polluted environment? Some chemical seeping into the water? Was isolated to certain species or, even more troublesome, would it spread? For several long minutes both Kami sat in thoughtful silence until he suddenly stiffened and turned to the Elder.

"Grandfather...If the Old Coyote does not remember his past, then how did he know where to find us?"

* * *

"Hey Count-D," T-Chan half waved by way of greeting as the steward approached their huddle. He and his other three associates were parked in a corner, collectively recovering from lunch while he regaled them with some of his favorite recipes from another lifetime. His wide smile slipped and faltered with the taut expression on the Kami's face and he immediately began shaking his head.

"Look Count-D I don't know who _Bai Hu_ thought he saw but it wasn't me! The guy is always ready to accuse me..."

The Count blinked and slowly shook his head. "That, Tetsu, is a matter for another time." He turned to the youngest of the group with an easy smile. "Ahere-chan, I would like to speak with you for a moment."

The trio watched with puzzled expressions as they moved to the interior of the shop.

'What's that all about, you notice he didn't even blink when I started explaining myself," the Totetsu growled into their circle. His vulpine partner shrugged lightly.

"Maybe cos he's heard that line too many times. You don't think it's about the other thing, do ya?"

"Nah, if he knew, he woulda come after you or me that case. This is something else."

Pon-chan sighed and sat upright, cerulean eyes beamed in the direction they took. "I don't know what it is but...he looked kinda worried. I hope everything's okay."

Count-D led his young charge to the green house, which was redolent with the heady scent of tropical flowers in full bloom. Access to this area was usually restricted to the insect and hummingbirds; their low buzz was the only sound overhead as they walked toward the middle.

"You are wondering why I singled you out from your friends," he softly began and she nodded.

"Am I in trouble?"

He gave an involuntary chuckle at that. "No dear, you are not in trouble. Although that tells me you have been spending far too much time in T-Chan's company."

She relaxed visibly and grinned. "No, T-chan is awesome!"

They came to the middle, where a stone outcropping could also serve as seats.

"I only wanted to talk to you...away from the others."

Her eyes widened as she took him in. "Okay."

Count-D reached for her small hands and set them in his. "It is amazing how well you have taken to us...you and your friends have become inseparable these days. I am glad you have been able to feel at home with us."

Ahere smiled, splaying her fingers against his, testing her strength to his. Her black nails were slowly lengthening into those hardened claws that would serve her well through her adult years. Her friends had already begun teaching her basic hunting skills – the stalk and wait.

"Grandfather and I are very pleased by all of this. All the same, we cannot help but wonder about your past."

"My past" she whispered softly and he nodded.

"You said you did not remember where you came from, your family..." Count-D trailed off, hoping the tension he sensed in her shoulders was from his imagination.

Ahere closed her eyes. "I still don't remember."

_Lights_

"From the moment we are born, we begin to make memories. In your case, it seems that some of yours have become hidden – by what one can only guess but grandfather and I would like to help, if you will let us."

Her eyes tightened shut and she shivered slightly. "W-what if it hurts?"

_Cold_

Count-D felt her flinch and frowned. "Ahere, are you all right?"

_Snap!_

When she opened them, her eyes were filled with tears. "W-what if I don't want to remember?"

The air around them stilled for a heartbeat.

"Dear child, we would never make you do anything against your will. Perhaps it is best we leave things as they are – if you are happy not knowing, then so are we."

She sagged with a sound of relief and fell forward into his arms. The Kami was at once chastened and chagrined by the tremors that rocked them both. He gave her a squeeze, releasing a small burst of calming warmth over her skin until she was relaxed and boneless against him.

"I'm sorry," her soft voice pressed somewhere around his stomach and he shook his head.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

He dragged a hand through her curly locks and rubbed her neck. "Feel better?"

Ahere yawned and stretched, feeling incredibly warm and comfortable. It was such a familiar feeling.

"May I ask you one last question?"

"Mmmm-hmmm."

Count-D took a deep breath before venturing forth. "That night, when T-Chan discovered you in the alley, were you lost or were you going somewhere?"

So sleepy...

"I was coming to the safe place...happy..." She yawned again and cuddled closer. "...Friends."

"The safe place."

Her eyes were drifting closed now. "Mmmm-hmmm...safe and happy. Just...like he said."

* * *

Leon tossed his empty soda can to the trash can to his left; he had no time to gloat over the neat dunk before the pedestrian light across turned green. He joined the small throng making for the other side. Mostly tourists and young people tricking taking advantage of the setting sun. Young people – when the hell did he stop counting himself in that category? He caught sight of the attire favored by the couple walking in front. Who wears black leather in the middle of Summer?

Yep getting' old.

At least the sun was no longer whacking on his skull. This was the first time he'd been out in five days what with taking care of his sick brother. Leon had no idea where the kid caught the virus from but he'd never witnessed a flu bout so vicious. The cop actually debated taking him to the hospital when he started puking his guts out by the end of the second day. Just how much upchuck can a nine-year kid contain, really? Then came the fever and chills...he didn't dare leave Chris's side until the kid could stand on his legs without falling over. If this cop thing ever fell through, he was fairly certain he could start another career in nursing.

At least he didn't catch the damn bug, Leon was grateful for that much. But taking care of Chris left him little time to follow up on his lead on the Martin case. Stella had pointed him in the direction of their mutual work place but in the days since he had no idea how far the other detectives had gotten on. Had they stepped in and messed up the place before he had a chance to ask questions? On the off chance that Bowerman was still bungling his way through the case, he probably had a small window to beat them to the punch.

Club Dante.

Leon had never even heard of this place. The thing about clubs in the city was that they were always reinventing themselves every few months. He couldn't count how many 'openings' he'd gone to where it was the same damn place under a new name or management. Of course that was all before he became senior detective and his work load quadrupled. Anyway a quick check up on Google revealed a website complete with all the Gothic vampire shit that was all the rage these days.

The club was smack in the middle of the Castro – probably another reason he'd never had heard of it – and not yet open, like Stella said. On the plus side he wouldn't have to deal with the club crowd and there would be someone around overseeing things.

Somewhere along that train of thought his eyes had drifted to the leather skirt bouncing just in front. Nice ass, he thought, really perky, full and round. The skirt made little creases on the sides as they jiggled, as though straining to contain the awesomeness. Nice legs while we're at it... Leon was more of a boob guy himself but never would it be said that he didn't appreciate a well proportioned behind. Now his thoughts drifted over to Macy. She had a really nice rack. Not much going on in the ass department – maybe that's not the point of those Yoga and Pilates classes she was always late for – but a man could live with that. Leon nearly stumbled into leather skirt at that.

A man could live with that? What. The. Hell?

Just because his brother was living with him temporarily, and there was this cute girl across the hall doing things like watching the kid and cooking them proper dinners and stuff did not give reason for the backward slide away from bachelorhood! Sure he and Macy were getting close, real close, the voice in his head smirked, but this was sure as hell not going to last. Chris would be on a plane back to his aunt's soon enough and this whole arrangement would meet its proper and timely death. He was not looking for a permanent relationship. Getting laid on a more regular basis was nice and all but no way this thing going on with Macy was gonna lead somewhere.

With such distressing thoughts in mind, he nearly missed his destination.

Club Dante was incongruously located amidst a row of boutique shops and tourist attractions but it stood out because of the dark and purple marquee with baroque looking lettering spelling out the club's name, and the matching carpet outside. It was all quiet from outside but the detective could just picture it on opening night. The doors were large, wooden and shut, and there was no doorman outside. Luckily enough, they began swinging open just as he wondered how stupid he'd look if he started knocking. The delivery man barely noticed him swinging around, what with the stack of boxes he struggled with, and Leon ducked into the cool interior like a pro.

It was dimly lit – no surprise there – and rather quiet for a construction area. As his eyes adjusted to the sparse light, he realized that there wasn't much work necessary in here. The floors, walls, even the light work above looked done. The structure was one cavernous hall, a la most clubs, even though the bar area was really, really big. This outfit looked ready to roll in a matter of days...

"Who are you?"

He turned aside to the sharp, female voice and its owner. Manager or something, the detective worked out from her expectant expression and the arms akimbo. He flashed out the badge by rote, cursing the action a split second later.

"Detective...Orcot. I'm currently investigating the murder of Martin Delaney...according to our records he worked here?"

Her face defrosted a smidge and the arms lowered. "M-Martin's dead?"

Leon nodded slightly. "Yes ma'am...you were not aware of this?"

She made a sound of dissent. "When he stopped showing up we just figured he and Zai had one of their hissy fits again and he needed time off...Zai's a lot to deal with."

The detective grunted, reaching in his back pocket for his note and pen. "And you are?"

"Brenda, I work with him...worked. He's really dead."

Well that was a matter of interpretation, he wanted to add. But followed up with a different question.

"When was the last time you saw Martin?"

She seemed to think back and shrugged. "A few weeks ago...we were looking at the tile selections for the bar area. He signed off on them and I had to leave for the warehouse. I usually do the real logistics here and I send him updates and emails...when he didn't show all this while we didn't think it was a big deal..." Her brows puckered. "I probably should tell Zai and Kona."

"Tell us what?"

They both flinched and jerked left, to the figure who seemingly materialized out of nowhere. Leon could feel Brenda stiffen from head to toe. She opened her mouth and he forestalled her with a hand.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?"

She spared him a fleeting glance and fled.

"Well then, who are you?"

Wrong. Everything about this guy screamed out wrong to the detective. Even though he took a few steps closer to the light, he still seemed to blend into the darkness. His skin was impossibly pale, gleaming with a sheen that reminded him of his brother's in the peak of his illness. And his eyes were hot and feverish and stared with too much focus. Leon found himself taking a step back and stopped.

"Detective Orcot. Who are _you_?"

"Zai. What do you want?"

He took another step closer, head cocked to the side.

" I'm investigating the death of your manager Martin Delaney."

The name didn't seem to register; Zai's focus didn't break, he didn't even blink.

"He worked for you."

"Hmmmm...oh right, Marty. Are you a real blonde?"

Leon blinked. _What?_

"What?"

"I have a thing for blondes..."

Now he took a step back. "Look I just want to ask a few questions."

"And you haven't even answered mine yet. Guess you'd rather show me then."

He moved impossibly fast; in the blink of an eye he was suddenly right there and Leon's back was against the wall. In the back of his mind, the detective knew he was taller than the other man, and this scenario was just not possible. He gasped, scrabbling for the weapon that wasn't there while hot red eyes loomed over him. He braced a warding arm but it was yanked up and above his head by an iron grip.

"Get the fuck off me!"

Leon strained and bucked but the freak was on top of him, pressing his body against his and that hand was fucking all over his body, groping.

"Feisty...I like feisty."

He opened his mouth to protest but a long tongue invaded, tipping his jaw further back, forcing him to look up into those awful eyes.

"Tell me your name."

"N-nuurgh," he growled and a starburst of red exploded in his skull. His knees buckled from the pressure and pain.

_Tell me your name!_

It echoed in his head, his mind...everywhere. Sharp, hard, hot, blinding.

"L-Leon."

In the terrace above, Kona pinched the bridge of his nose with a resigned sigh as his mate proceeded to ravage the hapless human.

"I guess it was too good to last."

* * *

_What?_

Poor Leon...


	11. Chapter 11

Housekeeping!

Ohisashiburi da ne...

I only just found a new muse, after the ah, unfortunate circumstances surrounding my old one's disappearance.

Anyway...if anyone is still tuning in, much obliged.

Warning: Slight potty mouth

**Harbinger**

Okay Kiddo I'm just gonna rest my head for a couple hours, kay? Do you need anything?"

Chris shook his head to the negative and Macy shrugged.

"Let me know when Leon comes in."

He watched her shuffle toward the bedroom with a tiny frown of concern. Macy and his Big Brother had taken turns watching him while he was sick with the flu and he remembered her always teasing him about not spreading his yucky germs her way. Leon had to go do something for work and dropped him off with her in the morning and she'd passed off his hug with a 'eww, don't give me your germs' dance. He knew it was all a joke but now, looking at the older woman, he wondered whether she might have caught the bug after all.

It was around lunch time that he noticed her face having the 'sick look,' like his had back then. And now it looked even worse. Chris really hoped she would be okay – being sick with the flu like his was not fun at all. And if she was getting sick, what about big brother, who took care of him the most?

Nah, Leon was fine. No way the flu would take him down.

Still, it meant he had all this unsupervised time on his hands. There was no way he could sneak out to the park, not with Macy being home and she couldn't take him anyway. Besides, his friends wouldn't be there anyway. A small smile played on his lips at that.

They wouldn't be at the park but that didn't mean he wouldn't get to hang out with them.

Chris settled himself comfortably on the sofa and closed his eyes, willing the slow heaviness to settle over his limbs and joints. It was like falling into a pool of jello. Just before he sank to he bottom, a gentle pull tugged at his midsection and he let it reel him back to the surface. His was the relaxed pose of one asleep, except he wasn't really.

He opened his eyes to the warm breeze blowing over his face and smiled, stepping into the grassy garden. He was standing on a small path, surrounded by rows of rose bushes that led to the middle. Golden sunlight danced over the trees just ahead and he could hear laughter from that direction. He hastened toward the sound and activity.

"Hey guys!"

The White Nine-tailed Fox lay just before him, tails swishing lazily close to his feet. A golden eye opened and the majestic creature slowly rose to his feet, towering over the human boy.

"Hope you're keeping track of all your frequent flier points Chris, it could come in handy if you're planning a trip to China."

Chris didn't know what frequent flier points were, and the joke went over his head. "Hi Ten-Chan."

"Chris!"

He turned aside to the golden Raccoon racing his way and caught it just in time to avert what was chasing her.

"Let go of the rodent, kid, and look away. You don't need to be an accessory to this."

Not that the Totetsu would ever harm a hair on her head. She scurried for safety into the branches overhead and he looked up, grinning at the Owl that was sure to be silently observing.

"Hey Ahere."

"Hi Chris."

She fluttered to his shoulder and he gently scratched her crown. A happy smile formed unbidden over his face and he sighed with contentment. Who needs the outdoors when you've got this?

The first time it happened was when he was sick, shivering with fever and unable to stop puking. He was just so miserable and remembered looking to the window and the bright sky outside, thinking about his new friends and wanting, with all his heart, to be away from here. Wishing to be with them. The next thing he knew, he'd blacked out and when he opened his eyes, he was standing in this garden. It seemed like a dream until T-Chan suddenly appeared in front of him, looking very angry.

"Well what do you know, the kid's a true blue, honest to goodness Spirit-walker."

The Totetsu explained it to Chris that he wasn't actually asleep and this wasn't a dream. He was in the 'place in between' and invading his own Spirit Garden, and that was normally very hard to do. Ordinary people couldn't do this, and that made him feel special for a minute, until T-Chan pulled out his scary face and warned him never ever to go 'pissing in someone else's territory without permission' again. But since he'd found his way here all on his own, it was okay to visit whenever he liked.

"I figure, if you're trying to get away that bad, best to have somewhere safe to get into."

T-Chan must have told the others about it because the next time he came, they were all here already. One thing Chris quickly learned was that time passed differently in this place; he could be here for a few minutes and find out that its been ages back at the apartment, or sometimes it went the other way around. You just never knew. T-Chan told him that the 'place in between' was had its own rules about time and space and the laws of reality didn't apply. Pretty much you could whatever you wanted in here...except die. If you get killed in here you die for real. Hence the scary face lecture.

Still it was okay as long as he stuck to this place. It wasn't as if he knew anyone else's Spirit Garden...Chris still had no idea how he got here in the first place. But it made him wonder, could he make a Spirit Garden of his own? Maybe he should ask T-Chan. A sudden commotion to the left made him look up to see the Totetsu nimbly leap into the trees to chase after his usual quarry, far higher than would have been possible in the real world.

And the best thing about it all was that Chris still would be able to visit his friends, even after the vacation and he was back at his aunt's! It was all so incredible, he wished he could somehow show his big brother. But every time that thought came around, he pushed it aside.

Leon would never believe him – it would all look like he was making it up – and his brother couldn't enter the Spirit Garden anyway. Chris didn't know why he knew that for a fact but he just did. But it still didn't help the guilt he felt whenever he hung out with his friends, in the real world or here, because he was hiding it from his big brother.

Why did it have to be so hard? Why couldn't he just come out with it to Leon? And then the dark voice whispered, like it always did.

_Why doesn't Leon want me?_

He gasped involuntarily at the sharp jab between his ribs and bit his lip. No, not here! One, breathe in, two, breathe out...Chris closed his eyes against the familiar jitters, pushed them back into the cupboard and firmly shut the door.

"Chris! I need my wingman, buddy!"

"Wingman? I knew you'd be a terrible influence on him."

He opened his eyes to T-Chan's beckoning wave and grinned, running up to join in the game of ultimate tag football.

Changing times...

If someone had told the Totetsu last New Year's eve that the majority of his coming days would be spent cavorting with squealing, giggling youngsters – as in not just the Blondie but more – he would have cheerfully bumped them on the head and gone on his merry way. The others had clamored for an auspicious reading from the Fortune Tortoise back then but he'd scoffed at the idea of squinting into tea leaves...

Not that it would have done him much good – he had it on good authority that the old swindler sometimes substituted her loose leaves for low grade Earl Grey.

Still, the ancient creature mused, it was a bit of a turn that here he was, sharing his Spirit Garden with not one but three other High Beings. And one human. The Totetsu hadn't believed his eyes when the child popped out of nowhere; at first he thought it was an illusion likely created by one of his rivals to ensnare him. You never know, just because the Astral planes have been quiet of late didn't mean challengers couldn't rise at any moment. His slice of the realms was anchored on prime focus loci and was highly coveted by one Gyu-maoh, a particularly troublesome Kinnari and at least two of his distant cousins.

But the harried look in the child's eyes could not have been contrived, and it had tugged on his nature like flame to the moth. It also called for a revision of their initial assessment of Chris. He wasn't just a pure soul, he was a particularly strong one as well. Good thing such abilities were very few among his kind...the potential for havoc was frightening.

Totetsu are fierce and terrible, their cloak is the shadow of primordial fear itself. It was all so easy to forget their dual nature – defend the home, protect the home. Actually, he'd never been called upon for that aspect of his Self; way back when, the few times that mortals had been able to successfully summon him, it had always been for similar reasons:

Vanquish my rival, drive fear into the heart of the opposing army, destroy my enemy...

But Chris invoked in him the will to protect. He glanced sideways at the child, safely ensconced between Kyuubi and Tanuki, and the corner of his lips quirked in a smile. And there was no mistaking that the kid needed him in his Karma, why else didn't he go haunting the pretty-boy's Zen garden?

Still, what an odd choice in guardian spirits.

Totetsu knew he was no cuddly teddy-bear. He couldn't help but wonder what sort of baggage the kid carried. It was perhaps because he was watching that he was able to catch the peculiar emotions that flitted across his charge's face. There was shock, pain...loneliness. The kind that strikes swiftly and suddenly, even in the company of friends. The kind that was always wrapped up in bitter memories. He recognized that one instantly.

Later, much later, when the others had left and it was just the two of them, they lay in the soft grass and stared into the sky above. Last time, he'd basked in Chris's awe when he'd performed the feat of making it both day and night at the same time. Today the kid was quiet, drawn into himself...

"What's bugging you?"

Chris sighed and turned slightly aside. "T-chan, have you ever had to do something that seems right, only it feels wrong?"

He bit his lip and shook his head. "I mean...like if you had to hide something from someone, but for the right reasons. Because you had to, be-because, no matter how you tried to explain it, they would never believe you."

He was staring intently to the sky but his voice was thick with emotion. "And it's just easier to let it go..."

Totetsu reached up and as casually as flicking a hand, he cause one of the twinkling lights to descend several feet.

"Kid, there's no such thing as a good fruit from a bad tree. You can't really have right reasons for something that feels wrong. Good is good and bad is bad. When you start mixing them up, well that's where things get complicated."

The star light shrank and continued to lower, until it hung right above their heads, a dazzling glimmer.

"But what if he gets mad, or thinks I'm lying? What if I can't get him to believe me? A-and he makes me take it all back?"

Chris's fear lanced through him hot and sharp, and he actually winced. He, whoever this is, better be worth it.

"A good tree never gives a bad fruit. If this person loves you, then he'll have to believe you. Maybe not at first, not with words, but he will. Besides, you'll have said the truth."

Totetsu sat up suddenly and looked hard at his charge, mellow gold eyes turning amber. "Get this straight Chris, no one can ever make you take that back."

_Or me, or us._

Tear's flooded the human's eyes and he nodded, burying his face in the Totetsu's side.

"Okay...thanks T-chan."

Great, the latter groused internally, now I'll have to go practice what I preach.

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The moon is bright, the wind is quiet,  
The tree leaves hang over the window,  
My little baby, go to sleep quickly,  
Sleep, dreaming sweet dreams.

The moon is bright, the wind is quiet,  
The cradle moving softly,  
My little one, close your ey-

Count D cut short the rest of the lyrics, pausing in his scrubbing motions with an impatient sigh. That was the third time today that he'd found himself unconsciously singing that old tune.

It was technically a lullaby, one of the many that careworn parents whispered to fussy infants. One of the many that his own father had sung to him years and years ago... His earliest memories were of stormy Winter nights and warm fires, gazing up into those swirling purple eyes, and the soft tenor voice that brought so much comfort. For some reason that voice had haunted his dreams last night and he'd woken up to this aching sense of longing...

He blinked and turned back to the ornamental copper kettle he was restoring, resuming scrubbing with vengeance. This was no time to be dallying with nonsense! There was so much to be done in the Shop today – feedstock, bedding and other materials would be delivered in a matter of hours and he needed to coordinate restocking. He couldn't afford to be distracted, what with Grandfather leaving by Midnight. It had come as a surprise when the Elder-D brought it up over breakfast.

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"My Grandson, I must journey soon."

Count-D peered across the small table over the rim of his teacup.

"Grandfather..."

The rest of his words didn't need saying. With the Season change upon them, Sofu would most likely be caught abroad during Winter. He hated to fly in the cold season, and rarely did so. Their eyes met for a moment and the Elder lowered his in an unexpected show of apology.

"I must, Grandson. In light of the events of the past months we cannot afford not to investigate the situation."

The troubling discovery that someone or something was erasing the memories of creatures, and then sending in the direction of the Shop. On one hand it meant that the sender had knowledge of them and what they stood for; at least their guests were being brought to Sanctuary. But then, why tamper with their memories at all? Count D couldn't sanction such an invasive act, regardless of the ends.

Besides, whoever or whatever was doing this must possess a great deal of power. Perhaps it was another Kami? The D's had familiarized themselves with all the Powers, Locus and Entities there was to know when they set root on this world. Was it possible that his Grandfather had overlooked One? That was highly unlikely. A new Kami, then? Gods weren't born by mere snapping of fingers. But then if someone had told him on New Years' Eve that he would come to encounter a brand new one by Summer, he would have prescribed Yarrow root tea and bed rest.

"I understand, Grandfather. When do you intend to depart?"

"Tonight-"

Count D's eyes flew back up with outrage and he set the cup down a tad forcefully. "Tonight!"

The Elder continued serenely, ignoring his outburst. "I shall make visits to our neighbors to the North, and then travel Eastward. Perhaps one of our friends has knowledge of this strange phenomenon, knows how to reverse the effects."

And if not? What if they have to look over the oceans? Count-D found himself thinking that it would be nice to visit an old acquaintance in Japan. He wondered how that witch-woman was doing* –

"I shall once again be leaving the Shop in your able hands, Grandson."

Obvious buttering, still he let himself be taken in by the Elder's playful smile.

"You can count on me, Grandfather."

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He should have mentioned how convenient it was that this trip was scheduled right at the start of one of their busiest periods in the year. Count D patted the little kettle dry and hung it up on the rack. His eyes flitted across to Pon-Chan's favorite perch with a smile but it was empty. She wasn't sitting by his chair either – come to think of it, he saw less and less of the three conspirators these days. The Kami usually spent several minutes of the day mediating one contest or another between the two overgrown babies and their younger sidekick. He supposed that all changed when Ahere entered the picture.

Come now, he chided himself. It would not do to be jealous of one of his charges. The Owlet needed their company and they were working wonders for her spirit. Besides, he was the one who tasked them to it in the first place.

"Hey Count!"

Speak of the Devil... three of the quartet trooped out of the inner rooms and threw themselves on his just rearranged couches.

"I was just thinking about how quiet this afternoon has been," he commented mildly and Pon-chan piped up.

"Oh we were playing with -"

"The Totetsu," Ten-Chan interjected, throwing her a stiff look. They shared a moment and she looked away chagrined. The Kami frowned slightly.

"I see, where is T-Chan by the way?"

"In his room, pooped. The years have not been kind to him, I tell you D. Two youngsters was more than he could handle."

The girls broke into giggles at that, diffusing the situation with practiced ease.

There was something they were not telling him. Count-D sensed that much. Still he let it go with a shrug. There was work to do. He would deal with his secretive bunch later.

It was easy to push this particular issue to the back of his mind, what with the mountain of work before him; between accounting for new stock and cajoling for more storage space, fulfilling the daily rounds with the shop occupants and welcoming two new faces, Count-D didn't even notice that the Totetsu never emerged for lunch or dinner. And then, all too soon, it was the last hour of the day. That time was spent helping Grandfather prepare for his trip. Soon they were standing by the back door to the shop and he was holding on to the lantern while the Elder-D fastened on his cloak.

"Well then, I shall be off."

Their eyes met and held for several long moments. Count D smiled faintly.

"Fair winds go before you, may you journey toward the rising sun."

There were many other words poised to escape his lips but to give them way would be to acknowledge the inexplicable anxiety that had been growing in his heart since Grandfather broke the news. It made no sense, he knew; this was not the first of such trips the Elder had embarked, and it would not be the last either. Yet, he couldn't help the urge to grab on to his Grandfather and stop him from leaving. Because-because he just had to! Count D banished such childish thoughts from his mind with effort and sighed.

"Take care, Grandfather."

Perhaps the Elder sensed some of his misgivings because he suddenly leaned forward and cupped his scion's face between his hands.

"I shall, and I ask you to do the same. Do not get so overwhelmed with your duties in the Shop and forget to rest. The rising sun always brings new promise...remember that." He touched their temples for a long moment before drawing away.

"I shall return as soon as I can."

Count D nodded and took a step back. The Elder gave him one last smile before dissolving into the shadows. All that remained of him were his eyes, glowing in the darkness. An instant later the shadows solidified; great leathery wings unfurled with lazy strength, creating a brief draft as he shot up and became one with the night.

The Count watched his ascent until he was gone, and then blew out the lamp. He lingered for another moment in the quiet, surrounded by the sounds of a slumbering city, and wrapped his arms around himself. He shivered from a blast of cool breeze and shook his head. There was no explaining how or why he knew, but everything was about to change.

This was the beginning of the end.

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Assistant director Paulsen was not having a great week at all. He had not one but three high profile cases open and growing colder by the minute, one involving his own boss, all somehow connected and none of them with any hope of being solved. He had the director's family, which consists of two ex judges, one ex commissioner, a high judge and a council man, breathing down his neck, the ADA nosing around, and the usual slew of inter office squabbling to spice up his morning coffee.

And that was all before the usual afternoon smorgasboard of his divorce attorney and the helpful phone call from his troubled son's private school...

So when the phone started ringing, the Blackberry phone he kept next to the special bottle, the - break out glasses cos everything is royally fucked up - Scotch, his not great week fell down into Satan's favorite shit hole.

Paulsen sighed and reached for the phone. "Paulsen."

"Chris...what the hell is going on in your house?"

He winced and rubbed his neck. "I -"

"No don't even answer, I don't want to know the details. But what I do want you to know is that whatever brand of screw up the SCD is making of itself, it's caught the attention of the wrong kinds of people down here and upstairs. So now I've got all sorts of unwanted attention my way and guess what? Well that just gives me a good excuse to fuck up your day."

He swallowed and reached for the Scotch. "Sir..."

"I'm only gonna say this once: clean up your mess and set your house in order. Someone is coming your way; I expect you to give him every curtsy and make sure no doors remain closed from him. Got that? If he says jump, you don't even get to ask how high. Just keep jumping until he's satisfied. Do I make myself clear?"

Paulsen nodded. "Yes sir."

"And you hope to God that you can clean up your mess before he gets there and he has to...otherwise, there will be consequences."

He sat up straighter in his chair. "Sir."

But the line was already dead. He groaned and put the phone back in place, topping off his glass with the other hand.

Anyone who had ever worked mid level knew there was always two kinds of bosses in the workplace; the rubberstamp retinue of bosses, and the one in the office who was the real power. Forget about the commish. this was the boss who kept him up at night, riddled with ulcers.

Following the wake of the attacks on the East Coast, the Top Brass had brought it into their heads that there were some things the boys in blue were just more effective at doing beyond the roles of the FBI and Homeland.

And so they created these small cadres of police departments which very 'miscelleanous' roles and titles like the SCD. Of course on paper they answered to the regular chain of command like all the other departments but Paulsen knew that scattered around the country were other directors just like him, living in dread of the special phone.

So now he had raining fire from above to deal with on top of his fun times down here...but why would Top Brass be calling just because of his own issues? They were troublesome in the perspective of one lowly AD but to these big wigs, his issues should not even rank as feather weight. But then, mid-level aren't paid to think: their job is to deliver the orders from above and ask no questions.

The thing was, they'd somehow neglected to give the name of this expected visitor. Or maybe that was on purpose?

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"Okay Kiddo, that's enough hanging around here. I'm gonna kick you out now. Time to return to the real world."

Chris nodded with a happy grin as his host rolled to his feet and did the same. Even though it only felt like a few minutes he'd been here, who knew what was going on in Macy's apartment?

"All right, thanks T-chan."

It was kinda funny. For the first time he could remember, he didn't feel scared or sad about saying goodbye to someone else. Maybe because it felt more like a 'see ya later' than 'I'll never see you again' but there was none of the usual pangs that followed parting of ways.

"You do remember how to get back, right?"

He rolled his eyes at the Totetsu's funny face and gestured behind him. "Off the path, off the edge."

T-chan waved him off and he retraced his steps to the edge of the garden. The light around him got dimmer until he could actually see the boundary where it stopped. It kinda didn't make sense but it did: you 'floated' into the place in between and had to 'jump' down to reality. Except it wasn't really a jump, more like a -

Chris opened his eyes with a sigh and sat up on the couch. It was really dark in the apartment. 8:00 pm. Time had gone forward after all. Looked like Macy must still have been sleeping this whole time...normally she would have ordered take out or pizza by now. His stomach grumbled at the thought of food. He did notice that he always came back hungry from T-chan's garden...

Chris got to his feet and made for the lamp switch. He'd wait a few moments and then check on Macy. Hopefully she was feeling better –

_PANG!_

He gasped and doubled over from the sudden jerk to his midsection. Time, up and down all tumbled together; the light bled from his vision and his knees crashed into the floor.

"L-Leon."

Something was wrong – something was wrong!

Big Brother!

*I'm a diehard XXXHolic fan. My perfect crossover OVA is one that brings the petshop and Yuuko's shop together...

One can dream.


	12. Chapter 12

**Housekeeping!**

As usual, a very heartfelt thank you to everyone who has still been checking in with this twalngled tayle of ours. Here's another chapter for your reading pleasure.

(At least I hope you still take pleasure from reading this).

I feel I should explain something about the way the story timeline plays out. A lot of things are happening to many of the characters, but at the same time. And we're getting the different perspectives of each event.

Oh, and things are going to get much darker from here on out.

Warning: Language, violence

**Pendulum**

"Why did you stop me?"

Zai spat out his last mouthful of blood into the toilet and reared back, slapping away the hand that had restrained him over the bowl for the past twenty minutes. His lover ignored his deadly glare and shrugged, flushing the gory mess.

"I had to stop you, he's not really your type. Besides, if you'd paid just a little bit attention instead of going rampage on him, you'd have noticed the shiny badge in his hand. A police badge, Zai. The last thing we want is a dead cop on our hands, not after that whole deal with Martin, and certainly not now!"

He yanked the taller man by the collar, eyes glowing a maniacal red, and his voice lowered to a menacing hiss. "Are you lecturing me, Kona?"

Kona's response was a smile; it was faint, almost indulgent. But then he moved, and all the other man could do was gasp. One moment they were leaning against the commode and the next had them pressed up against the wall, seven feet above.

Zai squirmed and bucked but there was no use breaking the stronger male's hold. A cool hand slipped under his shirt and began rubbing his belly.

"We have come too far, and too close to the end to start fucking things up. You're not supposed to be pulling crazy stunts like this right now and you know it. Who knows what could have happened if I hadn't stepped in? Who knows what has already happened? We have a duty here, Zai; I'm not lecturing you, I'm _reminding _you."

"What makes you think that you or I have any say about that? It could be too late, for all you know."

He shrugged lightly. "I can hope to the Gods but at this point, only time will tell."

They stared at each other for several long minutes. Zai's form was stiff with anger but there was no yield in his lover's stance and the grip on his shoulders did not slack. His eyes slowly cooled from red to solid black, glittering like a thousand tiny mirrors set into his pale face.

"You know, _I_ chose you for my mate Kona."

The other man nodded with a rueful smile. "Yes, and it could have just as easily been any of the six brothers I had to kill to make you mine. S'Agapo, Zai, nothing changes that." He leaned closer and kissed him deep, bloody lips and all, stroking and caressing his burning flesh until the latter melted into his embrace.

"S'Agapo, bastard."

Kona chuckled and nibbled at his neck, easing them off the wall and slowly back to ground as eager fingers ripped off his shirt and played with his belt buckle.

"Its not dead?"

He spared a thought to the comatose human. "Alive, but barely."

"I could check, make sure if you like."

"I've already taken care of it...whatever happens from here on out, best let it be far from here."

* * *

"So far all we've been able to do is keep her stabilized but there has been no change in her readings. We don't think it'll be wise at this time to pull her out of the coma."

Paulsen made the right sounds of understanding to the doctor but in reality his mind couldn't be further from the room. He felt a little twinge of guilt about that – after all he was occupying her former position – but then, her headaches were now his to deal with. Besides, he would do better by her to find her attacker and put this bizarro case finally to rest. Still, it wouldn't do to not check in on Jillian every now and then. Hence this late afternoon peek in.

Politics was all about making the right impression and people were always bound to make something out of petty shit like this.

"All right then, please keep us informed if anything changes."

He spared a long glance at the still figure on the bed; she was surrounded by all sorts of tubes, monitors and machines. Technology was the only thing keeping Jillian alive, she couldn't even breathe on her own, that was how extensive her injuries were. Paulsen grimaced and shook his head. That could easily have been him. He subscribed to the same brand of workaholism that plagued all mid/upper level echelons of law enforcement. It just happened that Jillian decided to work a little later than the rest of them that particular night.

Paulsen glanced at his watch.

"I'll be on my way."

The doctor nodded him off before reaching over the patient's bed for the chart. Her most recent lab results were now on file. No changes here either. Her white blood count was out the roof and antibody levels elevated, signs that the body was actively fighting an aggressive infection...except there was no evidence of such infection in her blood stream. It was all puzzling really, and he would have called in consults with pathologists if not for the gag order being placed over it all by the SCPD...

He surveyed the waxen figure on the bed, her pallor nearly matched the bleached sheets. For now they were doing all that the could, and that was to keep her alive.

* * *

"Ma'am I can take your order now. Ma'am...Ma'am."

Stella jerked back to awareness and the store clerk's inquiry. Their eyes met and she read the concern in his but quickly looked away.

"Y-yeah thanks, sorry."

She handed him a fistful of bills and hurried off the line, shouldering the paper bag filled with groceries. This was the first time in days she'd felt strong enough to leave the house, even as food supplies steadily dwindled in her pantry. She ached; every bone in her body ached and her head throbbed heavily. It was this annoying flu that just refused to go away!

First Stella went on her usual rounds of detox cleanses, hoping it would flush the bug out of her system, but then she was forced to admit defeat and visit the doctor. This was her third full round of antibiotics now. She knew she couldn't afford to spend more time off from work; even though the club wasn't officially open, they still required that staff show up for training detail to justify their paychecks.

A bout of dizziness threatened to knock her off her feet and she reeled, quickly reaching for the display wall for support. It was beginning to scare her a little because she wasn't getting better. Not at all. Tomorrow her present round of antibiotics would finish and she would return yet again to the doctor. This time Stella would insist on something stronger -

"Are you all right dear?"

She blinked and turned aside to the inquiring elderly lady, whose bespectacled eyes were full of concern. Stella saw herself reflected on that gold rimmed frame, truly saw herself. Her skin was a sickly grey, tinged with a sweaty sheen, and her hair hung in dull, lank ringlets over her face. But it was her eyes, the feverish brightness that set them alight in a strange greenish glow, that freaked her out the most. Stella flinched from the stranger's reaching hand and grasped the bag tighter.

"I'm fine! Sorry, I'm fine, I just n-need to..."

She hustled out of the store and into the streets, blinking back from the wan rays of the setting sun. Her eyes weren't green! Not even with her contacts. Screw it, she was going to the hospital right now...right after dropping these groceries home.

* * *

Chris couldn't breathe, couldn't see – all he knew was that something was wrong. Something terrible had happened to Leon. His knees gave away to the incredible pressure squeezing his chest, and a star burst of light exploded between his eyes.

He never realized until now that there was an actual connection between him and the older man; a link that was beyond space or time or reason. And now it was broken. It had always been there and he had never questioned that knowledge, the ghost of a feeling that had always fluttered in the back of his mind. But now it was gone. Suddenly, abruptly. that thing was yanked away from him and the loss ripped all the way into his bones.

"Leon!"

His ragged scream rang harsh along the walls as he struggled to breathe, forcing gasp after wheezing gasp into his tortured lungs. Light, sound, sensation...too much!

And then just as suddenly as it begun, the onslaught ceased. Chris trembled from head to foot, electric shivers coursing up and down his entire system as nerves, bones and sinew relearned their proper function. His lungs remembered how to inflate and as air rushed in, the cold grip of terror relaxed a fraction.

"Leon," he whispered into the dark room, tears springing unbidden to his eyes. His brother was in trouble. Something was wrong and Leon was in trouble. His elbows unbent and he slowly rose from his prostrate position on the ground. Leon was in trouble and he had to help him.

But how?

All around him was darkness and silence. Chris didn't even know where his brother was, how would he reach him?

The Cops!

His brother was a policeman after all, and they would know where to find him. Except...he didn't knew where Leon actually worked. Dial 911! He started toward the phone...but Macy didn't have a phone in her apartment. They did...Leon locked the door and he didn't have a key. Despair opened its maws over his head, poised to swallow him whole.

Useless! He was completely useless!

Leon was in trouble and needed his help and there was nothing he could do. He couldn't even call for help...he was good for nothing.

"_God you're so useless! No wonder Leon dumped you on my mom – I bet he took one look at you and knew you'd always be a pain in his ass...just like you are in mine!"_

He flinched from the sharp voice that echoed in the darkness. Shut his eyes against her words.

"_Good for nothing, always in everyone's way. I wish you'd just jump over a bridge and put us all out of this misery."_

"N-No."

"_No one really wants you, no one even likes you, cos you're so damn useless!"_

The bedroom door creaked open to reveal a sliver of light, and the faint sound of shuffling feet. Chris was so involved with his internal battle that it took him several moments to make the connection.

Macy. Macy!

His heart brightened with renewed hope. Macy! He could get her to call Leon, she had his number. Or even-even call the cops! He knew it was just his feeling but maybe they could call his big brother, find out where he was...help him. So he began walking toward her, worry for Leon hastening his steps when –

_Stop!_

It came quick and urgent from his midsection, an unexpected pull that was yet strong enough to halt his steps.

Wait, what?

The feeling tightened his throat, arresting him midway to the bedroom. It made him pause...forced him to listen to the tiny tremors in his stomach.

Something wasn't right...it sure was taking her a long time to get out of the bedroom. Was she okay? Maybe she was really sick after all.

Macy's movements seemed slow and unsteady. There was no familiar cadence of purpose to her footsteps...only that slow shuffling. Chris had taken a half step back without realizing it, his entire focus on the figure rounding the corner.

Macy.

He squinted into the shadows, surely his eyes were playing tricks because it seemed darker over where she was than where he stood. She was still coming closer, into the living room. Why wasn't she turning on the light? The light switch was right there by the wall but she just passed it. She was walking around to his left, circling toward the kitchen.

The tremors in his stomach were rocking harder and his mouth was suddenly dry.

Macy?

Chris took another step back, nearly tipping into the armchair behind. She froze, he froze. She slowly turned his way.

Green.

Her eyes were glowing in the darkness. They were glowing green.

_Hissssssssssschtttttttt_

Chris felt his stomach clamp with the strange sound. They had no pets. This was a no pet apartment.

_Hissssssssssssssssssssssssssschtttttttttt_

Her. His eyes widened with the realization that it was coming from _her. _He backed away, biting back the sound of fear escaping his throat. She shuffled closer. He backed away from her, knocking into the coffee table in the bid to put distance between them. But she was still coming, quicker now. As if his movements were only drawing her closer. This time he couldn't help the gasp of fear. She hissed again and he jumped over the sofa. It was the only thing between them now.

"M-Macy," he sobbed, what was going on? Everyone was suddenly going wrong!

She came closer and suddenly, even though it was dark, he could see her. And what he saw made him scream.

Monster! It was a monster! Whatever it was jumped onto the sofa and he backed into the wall, shutting his eyes. He heard her snarl close to his face.

"HELP!"

There was a burst of light. The ground around him suddenly began to shake. Chris shut his eyes even tighter and curled into a ball.

_Goawaypleasemakeitallgoaway!_

He heard a harsh crunching sound and the yelp of an animal in pain.

Breathing...heavy breathing.

"You okay Chris?"

_Tetsu!_

He opened his eyes in surprise, only to see the frightening figure of his best friend standing right in front of him.

"T-T-chan?"

"I heard you call for help, sounded really scared. Now I see why." The Totetsu didn't take his eyes off the hunched figure he'd flung into the door.

"Are you all right?"

"Y-yes...you came for me?"

"Damn right...sorry, erm."

"That's okay."

The hunched figure straightened itself up with an angry snarl and turned toward the Totetsu. T-chan winced at the horrible visage standing before him, spitting and slavering with bloodlust. It looked human but he knew there was nothing human about this. Taking a cue from him, it hunched on all fours and prepared for a strike.

"Kid I'ma hafta tell you to close your eyes now. Keep them closed until I tell you when."

Chris gasped; he didn't need to be told what that meant, what was coming. But -

"That's Macy!"

T-chan shook his head. "I don't know who she was but that right there is no longer anyone you know. I'm sorry."

Silence stretched for the space of a heartbeat. The creature launched toward them.

"Close your eyes now!"

Chris did as he was told.

A few minutes later; after the Totetsu had ripped the entire neck section out of the creature and it had stopped twitching, he surveyed the surveyed the mess in the room and the child frozen into a ball behind him.

_I should have made him cover his ears..._

* * *

"So you're telling me that this Brinks lady is very likely the last person that saw Martin alive? Why haven't you hauled her in here for more questioning?"

Bowerman shifted from the beginnings of a glare targeted toward him across the table. "Because she's got an alibi for it; cameras place her entering a yoga studio during the time frame for the murder. Sure her prints and DNA were found all over the apartment, but that's because apparently she and Martin had a thing going on. According to her, they met at work, one 'Club Dante' and have been dating for a couple months now."

Paulsen surveyed the notes spread out in front of him with a grunt. "And she hasn't had any contact with this guy since then?"

"No…he's just vanished."

People don't just vanish from existence. Well dead people do, but that was certainly not the case with this Martin character.

"This is a mess, a goddamn mess," the interim director muttered as he shoved his chair backward and got to his feet. "What other leads do you have on this case?" He already knew the answer in his gut but was just hoping for a stroke of luck, blind inspiration – dammit anything!

Bowerman's expression was one of supreme discomfort. "Ah…we're still going over everything, trying to find if we missed any –"

He was completely unprepared for the other man's impatient slap on the desk.

"Don't give me that shit! I got a serial murder case, an aggravated assault in this very precinct, _and_ a missing killer all rolled up in one and you're still going over everything? That's a fucking cock up."

"Yeah well the murder cases weren't mine in the first place, we didn't make that mess." Bowerman's response was more of a sullen retort.

_Point that gun in the proper target._

Paulsen's eyes narrowed because he got the message loud and clear. Leon Orcot; he should be cleaning up his own fuck ups.

"Where the hell is Orcot anyway?"

The other detective shrugged, slightly more relaxed now that he'd given the director another straw man to hit on.

"Beats me – looks like he's been AWOL a lot these days."

Not that he and the blond pretty-boy ever got along in the first place; he'd take no great pains to aid a fellow officer.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Paulsen jabbed at the intercom button with more force than was necessary.

"Sir?"

"Leon Orcot, tell him to haul his ass in here now."

Pause.

"I'm afraid Leon isn't here sir."

"What?!"

"He didn't check in for shift."

Pause, while Paulsen tried to rein in his temper. Didn't clock in for shift...It was already half past seven.

"You find that O.C surfer boy, tell him to get his Keister in my office or he's looking at a three month suspension….without pay," he added with brutal force and Bowerman grinned with relish.

"Yes sir."

"Now!" Paulsen barked into the box before stepping away. He rubbed the back of his neck wearily. No wonder Jillian always had that stick in her ass, this job was a pain in the –

Ring….

They both blinked back into awareness with the conspicuous cell phone ringing and the next few seconds were filled with wriggling and body checking as each tried to incriminate the other by showing that his device wasn't the culprit.

Ring….

Paulsen realized it was coming from the drawer, and his midsection clenched with that knowledge. He looked back to a curious Bowerman and waved him away.

"Go, find me leads and close this damn case."

The detective hurried off even as he scrambled for the Blackberry.

"Hello?"

Pause

"Director Paulsen."

"Y-yes this is Paulsen."

He cleared his throat to mask the quaver in his voice. "How can I help you?"

"You are expecting me."

Not a question, a statement of fact. It was a male voice, soft yet deep, rich with all the tonal enunciation that bespoke a very proper education.

"Yes I am."

"Very well then, we'll meet tonight. Nine O'clock. I will be waiting outside the lobby."

Brisk and commanding, layered with remote politeness. Someone used to giving direct and specific orders, and having them obeyed. Paulsen thought he detected the faintest inflection in the 'R'….just a hint of an accent…

"Nine O'clock, sounds good Mr. …."

"Howell."

* * *

Count D crossed the threshold into the store with a happy smile. he had just spent the past few hours roaming the streets of the city. The urge had suddenly fallen upon him just as he was about to return into the store, the need to step away from everything... At first he'd hesitated but then reconsidered.

Why not?

There were no pressing issues waiting for him inside the shop - everyone was fed, watered and probably tucking in to bed. He should have been looking forward to the usual nightly chat with his favorite companions but that hadn't happened of late. He made a startling realization that for once his absence would not only go unquestioned, but also unnoticed.

_So, why not?_

Besides, Grandfather did advise him to take some more time for himself.

And so the Count turned back and stepped off the porch, within minutes he'd blended into the city's nightly parade. it was made up of mostly young tourists - although compared to him, everyone was relatively young - and was easy to get caught up in their infectious energy, their curiosity.

Count-D found himself exploring the city through a stranger's eyes; even though he'd lived here for most of his life, he had to admit that so much had gone on and was going on around him without him being really aware of or experiencing. The shop was its own eddy in the currents of time, moving to a different rhythm than the rest of the world. Normally the Youngest D went along his way between both without skipping a beat but today he stopped and looked around.

He was accosted by three different strangers on three different occasions...and he accepted their invitations each and every time. Normally he would have politely declined and walked away, leaving a dose of muddled memory in his wake. Perhaps Grandfather's words had give him some sort of permission, or he was just feeling a little bit reckless, but he suddenly wanted to see what would come of it if he indeed said yes.

First there was the middle aged Chinese couple who were on the first leg of thier retirement trip and needed directions to a particular fine restaurant; he acted as their guide and then accepted the invitation to dine with them.

Over the next hour and the half Count D learned that they were from Oregon and she had won the toss of the coin that decided where they would travel. He left them early, with shared smiles and best wishes for the future. A few blocks farther had put him in the path of two ladies seeking out the latest club. They'd gotten lost and he quickly pointed them in the right direction. It seemed Cheongsam was an acceptable look for this club scene because they'd given him a summary glance and then inquired, 'come with?'

Why not?

Three Jaeger shots later, he bid them adieu and went on his way. Count D was not a novice at alcohol; it was just processed through his system too quickly to leave any lingering effect. But there was a quirky smile on his lips as he departed the underground venue, humming the song booming from the speakers.

"Hey, excuse me, please? I'm not trying to mug you or anything, I just need some help."

It was the uncertain call of the young man that made the Count turn aside for the third time. He had taken a short cut through a seedier part of town to return home; the young man looked barely out of his teens, dressed up to the nines and far too uncomfortable to be from this part of town. Besides, he couldn't actually bring any harm to Count D even if he tried.

"Are you all right?"

He soon found out that the boy's name was Chad, he had gotten separated from his friends during a row with his boyfriend and stormed off from the latter, only to realize he had lost his way. Between the alcohol and the uppers in his system, his sense of direction was thrown off. And to make matters worse, his phone battery was drained

"Do you have a phone? I just need to call Jason, he can come get me."

Count D had no use for a cell phone, he had learned when he was very young that Kami and small electronics are not compatible, but he asked for the phone all the same.

"I don't know what you're gonna do, it's pretty dead - oh!"

Kami are also good at lending energy in small doses. The device would likely not last a day because of his intervention but surely this counted as an emergency. Better that the boy was alive and his phone lost, goods are replaceable. With the Iphone* miraculously revived with one bar, they were able to contact a now contrite Jason, who redirected them to the club.

"Oh baby, I was about to go crazy! I'm so sorry, please lets not fight anymore."

Count D watched them kiss and make up, and then graciously accepted the drink Jason bought, as well as the two shots his best friend Kevin hopefully sent his way, before excusing himself.

It didn't take long to return home; even though the little walk around the block had ended up being a night filled with unexpected adventures. It was with a wide smile that he reentered the shop but the warm feelings quickly faded away when he walked into the living room and the gathering waiting for him.

"W-Is everything all right?"

He looked from a tense Ahere, to a somber Ten-Chan, to Pon-chan worried expression, before his gaze finally rested on the _Totetsu_. He was drenched in blood. Count D didn't know which unnerved him more, T-chan's red sodden appearance or the silence surrounding the quartet.

"What is the matter?"

Now he too stiffened from the tension in the air. Ten-Chan stepped forward, fluidly changing into his true form. "Steward we seek your assistance."

Count D could not remember when the _Kyuubi_ spoke in such formal language.

"We are all here, together, because we seek Sanctuary..." He broke off, turning to his partners who all made sounds of assent.

Count D frowned slightly. "Sanctuary? You do not need to seek it, none of you, it has already been given."

Pon-chan shook her head. "No Count, not for us."

She gestured to the hitherto silent Totetsu, who shifted aside to reveal the hunched form he shielded. "Not for us, for him. We seek Sanctuary for him."

The form looked up and their eyes met. The Kami froze, eyes widening with recognition. "Chris Orcot."

* * *

_It swings one way, and then another, and then back to beginning._

*Disclaimer: Iphone is a registered trademark of Apple Incorporated. This literary work is a fan-fiction and as such inherently unprofitable to the writer, publisher and website host agencies involved there in. Any depiction of Iphone, or all other Apple products are purely for artistic purposes and do not infringe upon the copyright, patent or registered trademark privileges of Apple Inc.

_Because of...reasons._


	13. Chapter 13

**Housekeeping!**

Well then, here is another chapter for reading pleasure.

Some potty mouthedness here and there, and judicious use of creative liberty

**Memento**

Deputy director Paulsen was standing before the headquarters lobby at 8:59, and pushing the swinging doors open at the stroke of 9. He looked around him left and right, but the parking lot seemed deserted. It was well past office hours after all, though a few detectives were certainly still obsessing over their cases overtime. The sky still had the orange haze of a Summer twilight, and the still air was only just beginning to settle and cool. Where was his voice on the phone? The car pulled up from his left with that thought, stopping right in front of him. It was a black SUV, the standard government issued type, with heavily tinted wheels to match. Paulsen didn't need a second bidding before stepping forward to open the doors and climb in.

Only when he was settled and strapped in place did the vehicle move away. The first thing he noticed was the temperature. It was a lot cooler in the car than outside. They pulled into a major intersection, going at a sedate pace, but he knew where they were. This was his city after all. One of the reasons why Paulsen hadn't felt too worried about this whole set up was because he had the home field advantage.

"Good evening, director Paulsen,"

It was the same voice on the phone; he glanced into the rear view mirror, taking in as many details as he could of the driver.

"Good evening, Mr. Howell."

Even though seated, Paulsen could tell that Howell was a physically imposing man. Six four, five at least, maybe 180 pounds. His hair was light brown, possibly blond, and cut close to his scalp. His black suite showed no sign of wear, even for the time of day, as though he'd been wearing it for not long but Paulsen doubted that. There was a simple copper band on the ring finger of his right hand, which was a little odd. Wire rimmed glasses hid his eyes from view until he looked up to the curious gaze in the mirror. They were the grey of storm clouds right before the rain; sharply intelligent, coldly assessing, and just a little predatory.

Paulsen had seen eyes just like this once before, sitting across from him during the divorce proceedings for his previous marriage. His first ex wife had hired the most cutthroat divorce lawyer on the East Coast. He remembered walking into the office and meeting those eyes; in an instant they had taken full stock of him and carved him up for all he was worth. Without mercy, without any shred of emotion. That was enough grounds to dislike this Mr. Howell, if he didn't already have reason.

"So, director, I hear from our mutual acquaintance that you are having some ...trouble of late in your department."

Soft spoken and polite, almost bordering on condescending. Except people like this didn't play those sort of bullshit games. Still, there was no way Paulsen was gonna just belly up and give him the keys to his house just like that, orders or no.

"Is that what he told you?"

He glanced sideways at the stranger, there was just a little bit of an edge in his voice.

"In his own words, he wanted me to 'look into this fuck-up' going on in your department."

Even the slur came out less as an insult and more as a fact.

"So, what exactly is this problem?"

"What, didn't you already get a debriefing about this?"

Mr. Howell made a sound that was in turns amused and dismissive. "Police officers and government dogs get debriefed, Mr. Paulsen. I am a consultant, with a skill set far beyond your weight class. You and I are having this conversation because someone very high up on the food chain asked nicely. You have a problem, and I can make it go away; but I have only one hour of my evening to spare. It is, however, your hour to waste."

_Mine is bigger than yours, so stop fucking around._

Paulsen looked back up to the mirror, to eyes that were full of indifference, and cleared his throat.

"Shall we now begin?"

And so he took a deep breath and told everything, from the ridiculous beginning to the bizarre conclusion. When he finished, they had pulled off the busy roads and into a quieter street. Silence filled the car while the other man drove on. Just ahead, there was a small park; Howell pulled into the parking lot and idled the car.

"To summarize it all, you have three linked cases, one injured superior and a missing assailant, who is also a victim and legally deceased."

Paulsen's face was set in granite as he nodded in assent. Howell shrugged lightly.

"We can begin trimming out the extraneous right now. The previous case with the feline related murders is closed, and has nothing to do with the current."

"How c –"

"Have you had any other reports of people being killed by cats, household or otherwise, since the last?"

The director made an unwilling sound of dissent.

"Well then, it is safe to assume that the ends of that situation – whatever they may be – have been satisfied. It is also safe to assume that Martin Delaney is either truly dead, or has been disposed of in a similar fashion."

Howell of course expected his response and their eyes met once again over the mirror. His eyebrow was raised in a subtly mocking expression.

"There have been no reports of vicious attacks on people since he escaped from your department; the modus operandi you described fits that of a berserk on a rage induced kill spree. He would not abruptly stop on his own and since _your_ people could not stop him, it is clear that someone else has."

Huh, that actually made sense for some reason.

"And that should be the focus of your investigation. The question of where Martin is hiding is not as important as the question of, why have there been no more attacks since the last. In my opinion, whoever was able to incapacitate your freak zombie killer is more dangerous than the zombie killer himself."

Howell pulled the car out of park and the lot, and back into the street.

"I will need a team of twelve, a private space to work and all the necessary mobility. For the duration of this exercise, they will answer to me, and I will of course relay all findings and information to you as need to know. Please choose your twelve wisely. All I ask, is that you do not question my methods or try to challenge my authority. There will be no power struggle between us, because there is no power shared between us."

For the first time since this exchange, he turned aside to look squarely at his passenger.

Paulsen was struck by how much younger he actually looked than it initially seemed. So young and good looking...but his eyes were so weary.

"These are my terms; if you can live with them, we will begin. If not, then I will leave you to your devices."

He swallowed and looked outside, into the darkness beyond. Of course he'd known, somewhere at the back of his mind, that these cases were out of the realm of normal, even for someone used to dealing with humanity's vices. He just stubbornly refused to accept it, because it would mean confronting mind scenarios that only happened in the Twilight Zone. But this man sitting next to him was all the confirmation he needed. They were looking at a whole new ball game, and he sure as hell didn't know all the rules. Paulsen knew he didn't like Howell, not as a person, and definitely not as a representation of his limitations; but that didn't change the fact that he had a problem with no way of fixing. So it really wasn't much of a choice.

"All right, do what you have to do...so long as civilians don't become collateral damage."

"That is always my intention, Mr. Paulsen."

The rest of the drive went on in silence; he looked up to find them pulling over in front of headquarters.

"When this is all done with, the situation taken care of and summarily classified, you can go back to running your little empire and hopefully we never have cause to cross each others' paths again."

Paulsen hesitated on his way out to stare at the other man. Once again, there was no rancor in his eyes, just fact.

"I honestly hope so."

Howell's lips quirked into the faintest of smiles. "Good night, Mr Paulsen. I shall keep in touch."

* * *

The first order of business was getting the child into a warm bath and warm clothes. Count-D found little resistance on that front; Chris seemed in a frozen state of catatonia.

"All right then, lets you something to eat. Would you like some soup, Chris?"

Thankfully there were still some spare rooms in the Shop; he'd picked the smallest one, strategically placed close enough to his room...just in case. Chris stayed frozen on the edge of the bed, staring into space.

"How about warm milk?"

Count-D crouched until they were face to face, peering into those wide blue eyes. They were void of awareness, he could as well have been talking to a brick wall. Wherever the boy was, he could not easily reach. He sighed and got to his feet.

"I'll be back, with the milk."

He shut the door behind him and settled against the heavy wood.

One long deep breath; inhale, exhale.

The four partners in crime were huddled in their usual corner when the Count swept out of the interior; he barely gave them a glance as he made for the kitchen. They listened to the familiar bang and clatter as he made tea, stiffening with apprehension when he eventually returned. He sat in his usual chair and set his tray down. Ten-Chan immediately noticed that he'd switched his favorite tea set out for a plain mug. Count D sat and sipped the steaming tisane, sweeping the whole lot of them in one glance. The tension in the small space was so thick, it could have been cut with a knife. He put the mug aside and closed his eyes.

"I believe you owe me an explanation."

T-chan shifted on his seat. "How do you know Chris, Count?"

The Kami opened his eyes and pinned him with a cool stare. "That, Tetsu, is beside the point. Can someone explain to me why there is a human boy in my Shop? Please."

There was no change in his tone or volume, yet his voice cracked like a whip through the gathering. _Totetsu_ and _Kyuubi_ shared a glance, and the latter cleared his throat. They told the story, from the fateful encounter at the park, to their astral visits. When he was finished, the silence that followed his recount was a one indeed stormy indeed.

"What you are telling me, is that for the past few weeks you have been sneaking out of the Shop – cavorting with this human child, and then stalking him in the astral planes – and essentially putting yourselves, this Shop and all its inhabitants, present and future, in jeopardy."

There was a noticeable quaver in Count-D's voice as he rounded on them. His shoulders were shaking, his normally pale cheeks full of color, and his eyes crackled with energy.

"But Count, Chris has no friends! We just wanted to be his friends," Pon-chan interceded and he swiftly got to his feet, cutting her off with a raised hand.

"Please stay out of this."

He turned back to the older ones and crossed his arms. "You made these two your accomplices, knowing fully well that they cannot even _begin to comprehend_ the ramifications of your actions, and then here you all are. At my doorstep, with a problem you want me to fix - a problem that should not be in the first place!"

The Totetsu swore and got to his feet as well. "You're not getting it Count, Chris is not a normal human boy. He sees us as we are, he's a Spirit-walker, a-and his spiritual energy...in another life, he'd be on the path to _Arhat_."

The Count flicked him a look over his shoulder, a hard chuckle escaping his lips. "Well now I have been enlightened on Chris's level of Consciousness. I am sure it explains his current state in my guest room."

Calm down, Tetsu, now is not the time to go toe to toe with the Count, the Kyuubi thoughtful earnestly, but his partner was too far gone to notice his urgent expression.

"Hey the kid needed me – he called for me through time and space! Now I know we went around your back and all, but we've been good for Chris."

Count-D had just begun to walk away when he snapped that retort. This made him swing around, and stalk toward T-chan.

"Oh? Well first let me _thank_ you, for actually admitting that you may have done wrong in the first place!"

His voice actually rose an octave, with a sibilant emphasis on the last word. There was no yield in his stance as he stared down the _Totetsu_ – stared down all his very favorite friends – and the _Kyuubi_ was stunned by the Kami's transformation. His longish hair was tousled in every direction around his face, his eyes were narrow slits from which purple and gold glittered, and the very air around him hummed and buzzed. Ten-Chan had never seen this Count angry or express so much passion...but damned if it wasn't hot. Even with the situation at hand, he couldn't help but think just how incredibly sexy D was at this moment. The Kami's eyes turned his way, as though hearing his thoughts, and he sat straighter.

But now the Count was not the only angry person in the room.

"Is that what you want to hear from me, an apology? Okay then, sorry hope it makes you feel better. But I won't take back going for Chris. He called on me to protect him and that's exactly what I did. I protect, it is my nature. He needed somewhere safe and that's why I brought him to the only safe place I know. I brought him to Sanctuary, your Sanctuary. Or isn't that what _you_ do anymore?"

Everyone else in the room stiffened from the import of that jab. Pon-Chan's mouth fell open in a wide O, eyes trained on the Count's frozen expression. Ahere shrank into her seat but her eyes didn't leave the steward either.

Oh you stupid idiot, you've gone and done it.

Count -D took a deep breath in and closed his eyes with the exhale. He took a step back from the Totetsu as a slow smile formed on his face.

"Yes Tetsu, as you have reminded me, that is exactly what I do here. What I have done for as long as I can remember...what I will continue to do for the rest of my existence."

There was absolutely no rancor in his voice, indeed all of his anger had evaporated. But the other four were still on guard; if any thing, they were even more tense. Angry Count, they had expected, even prepared for. But this sudden calm in the storm...

"Of all the times for Grandfather not to be here – on second thoughts, perhaps it is a blessing. He would be livid!"

The smile continued to play on his face, even as he dragged a hand through his tresses. Standing where he was, cloaked by the shadows in the darkened interior, that smile suddenly made him look so much older. Count-D shook his head and brushed past the stuttering T-chan, returning to his seat.

"That is still not all of the story. Why is Chris here, tonight?"

He sipped his now lukewarm tea and calmly looked up to the latter. The _Totetsu_ needed a moment to recover from this change of track and took a breath.

"That's what I was trying to finish. He just called on me, so full of fear, and I had no choice but to answer. He was being attacked...and I guess he thought I could protect him from her."

The Kami nodded and took another sip, seeming to assess his words. "Fair enough, judging from your appearance before, I presume you killed her."

T-chan rubbed his face tiredly. "Yes."

"I suppose it was high time the police resumed patrolling our street. Why, I am surprised that his brother is not already pounding on my door."

"I didn't kill any human."

Count-D frowned slightly. "I do not understand."

"Count, what I killed was not a human."

* * *

Chris snapped out of the fugue with a jerk and gasp.

"Please! Macy please!"

He shakily backed across the bed, rolled over and fell with a thud.

"Ow!"

It took another minute to recover from the shock and pain, and he slowly uncurled from the tight space. This was not the apartment. He wasn't wearing his own clothes either. He was wearing some sort of wrap around dress shirt. Then, like a tape being rewound, it all came back to him. Macy was about to grab him when T-chan came out of nowhere and saved him.

Macy...

Chris sucked in a sharp breath from the sudden jab between his ribs. Macy...He remembered the crunching sounds of teeth crushing bone, the meaty sounds like clothes being ripped apart, the smell. That awful sound.

_Hisssssstch_!

His knees buckled and he sank unto the bed, as hot tears leaked down his eyes. Macy was gone...Macy is dead. And T-chan killed her.

"_I don't know who she was but that right there is no longer anyone you know. I'm sorry."_

_T-chan!_

"T-chan?"

Chris looked around him once more but his friend wasn't in the room. Where was he? There was a candle holder on the small table on the other side of the bed, and it gave all the light in the room. It smelled like berries and apples and for some reason, that made him feel a little more at ease. T-chan must have brought him here, after – after... he shook his head and walked around, across the room to door.

"Or maybe I should just wait here."

He didn't know where he was, and T-chan wasn't with him. After what happened with Macy, he didn't want to face any more surprises. Maybe the best thing to do was to sit in the room until someone came for him. There could be anything outside that door. Chris swallowed, hands hovering on the knob. He looked back to the room. Someone had brought him here, given him new clothes and put him on the bed. That wasn't so bad. They must be friends with T-chan if he brought him here. So they couldn't be bad. He turned the knob and stepped outside.

It was dark, completely dark. And quiet.

Chris bit back his frightened sob and took a deep breath, feeling around. There was a wall right to his left...he slowly reached the other way. Another wall. He was in some sort of a passage way, then. He continued feeling on the walls, inching forward, step by slow step. The silence pressed around him like heavy cotton wool, until –

Sounds coming from just ahead. It sounded like voices, lots of them. His pace quickened along with is heart beat, especially when one of them began to sound familiar.

T-chan!

Chris doubled up, trusting on his senses to lead him out of the darkness.

"_I suppose it was high time the police resumed patrolling our street. Why, I am surprised that his brother is not already pounding on my door."_

That voice also sounded familiar. But it wasn't any of his friends.

The darkness was thinning now; he could just see a curtain of beads just ahead. He was at the entrance now but something made him hold back for a moment. He pressed himself against the wall, one foot poised on the threshold.

"_I didn't kill any human."_

They were talking about Macy...and that thing she turned into. The images appeared before his eyes. The monster, those green eyes. That wide mouth, impossibly wide. Chris bit his lip against the sudden roaring sound in his head.

* * *

Count-D resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"What do you mean, you did not kill a human?"

T-chan sighed and shook his head. "It was human at some point but it had turned into something else. It looked like some kind of -"

His sharp ears picked up the soft gasp just an instant before the others and they all turned to the same place, toward the interior.

"Chris."

He cleared the distance and reached in, pulling the boy into the gathering. The kid was having one of those panic attack things again, hyperventilating. And he couldn't blame him, not after what he'd experienced

"It's okay kiddo, you're safe. You're all right now, there's nothing here to hurt you."

The kid grabbed him in an embrace with a surprisingly strong grip and he lifted him up, making soothing sounds as they made for the couch.

The others watched in silence and various levels of wonder, as he comforted the shaken boy like a father would his son. Count-D was momentarily stunned by the Totetsu's actions but he recovered with a breath. The child was calming down now, and looked up from his friend's shirt.

"T-chan, you saved me! I-I was so scared, and I didn't know what to do. And I thought of you, and I really, really wished you'd be there and you came! You came, and you saved me."

T-chan shrugged and ruffled his head, swallowing the lump in his throat. "We're friends, right? That's what friends do."

Chris nodded and beamed at his guardian. "Thank you."

"Milk!"

They turned aside with the Count's outburst and he blushed with chagrin.

"I was supposed to bring warm milk..."

"Count-D!"

He smiled at the surprised look on the boy's face and nodded. "Hello Chris, I am glad you are feeling better now."

Only now did Chris register the others and his smile widened even further. "Guys! Ten-Chan, Pon-Chan, Ahere! You're all here."

As if they weren't already incriminated before, the _Kyuubi_ groused as the human jumped into their midst, squishing them all in a hug.

"I can't believe you're all here!"

"Well we live here, Chris. With the Count," Pon-chan replied.

"Really? Wow!"

"Yeah, T-chan brought you here because it's safe. This is the safest place in the world," Ahere intoned, eyes wide and earnest.

The truth in her voice caused a comfortable lull in the gathering, and the Count quickly seized it.

"Chris, I hear that you have had quite an experience tonight."

He watched the boy's face fall as he remembered, but pushed on.

"Now, they are right. You are safe here and welcome for as long as you need. But still I must ask, where is your brother?" And how could he have left you alone to such terrible devices, he added internally, feeling a flash of justified anger toward the detective.

At that, Chris went ramrod straight, fingers gripping Ten-Chan in a white knuckled fist. His face was as pale as sheet and his eyes turned hollow. Leon, how could he have forgotten?

"Leon is in trouble! Something bad has happened to him. I-I couldn't feel him and there was this pain and I lost him."

"What?"

The kid wasn't making sense. T-chan reached for him but he vaulted off the couch and toward the Kami, grasping his knees with all the fervency of a devout.

"Count -D, please save my brother!"

* * *

Startled by the sudden movement, the Kami actually scooted further back into his chair. But the boy only grabbed at his knees.

"Please, I can't help him, and I don't know anyone else who can."

He stared into those wide blue eyes, accepting, believing, trusting, imploring, and felt his throat tighten. It was suddenly all too easy to see why Chris inspired such fierce loyalty from his own companions, _his friends_.

"I-"

Chris pressed closer, tears pooling in his eyes. "Leon is my big brother, and he's all I have left in the world. And he's in trouble. You have to save him!"

Count D swallowed and looked away. On its face, news of the big blonde blockhead's imminent demise should have brought some amount of satisfaction or at least relief. But it didn't. He found that he couldn't actually stomach the idea of the detective lying somewhere in the night, alone, seriously hurt or in the throes of death. Not when he had foreknowledge about it – not when he'd been begged to prevent it.

But what could he do about this? Kami are not supposed to directly influence the course of events, time or destiny; with great power came all sorts of constraints and limitations. And he had already broken that rule once. However would he explain himself to Grandfather? Indeed, this entire day would take some creative accounting.

The quartet watched their Steward, sensing his internal conflict. T-chan knew they'd be asking a whole lot from the Count, with this new scenario. It was one thing to help Chris, but this other human? But this was the kid's brother, and whatever affected the man would definitely affect him too. So of course he was gonna try and help, maybe he could get the _Kyuubi_ and Chuckles in as well. Best they could expect from the Kami was that he look away this one time while they sort this all out. For Chris's sake, at least. Those were the words poised to come out his mouth when the Count sighed and nodded.

"All right Chris, I will do my best to help you find your brother."

He ignored the stunned looks on his companions' faces as he appealed to them. "But I cannot do this alone; we all have to search for the detective."

They all made sounds of assent, and the Totetsu added, "I can track him on ground, Ahere can look for him from above. She's got the best eyes among us here."

Ten-Chan frowned slightly. "Wait, don't you need to know what this guy looks like first?"

They all turned to Chris, who shrugged and bit his lip. "I guess he looks like me, only bigger."

The Shapeshifter gave his friend a critical look, and then underwent a boneless transformation.

"This?"

The boy shook his head. "Um, no..."

"A little taller, Ten-Chan, a little more" Count -D cut in, stepping closer. "And broader shouldered, yes. His hair is not quite as light, a little more brassy, and longish, enough to gather... his eyes are darker blue, almost black in the pupils. His skin is less pale, and tanned by the sun. There are a few lines on his temples...he also has a light stubble, and a scar on his chin."

The others watched as Ten-chan adjusted to his instructions and Chris nodded excitedly.

"That's Leon!"

Pon-chan recognized the image with a closer look. "Wait, _that_ detective is your brother?" She glanced sideways at the Count, even as the boy nodded.

"Yeah, do you know him too?"

Count-D sidestepped the impending conversation by urging them along. "Ten-chan, please join T-chan and Ahere to look for the man bearing this description." Once they had exited, he turned to Chris and reached for his hand.

"I heard you say something about not feeling your brother any more?"

The child nodded with a tense expression. "I've always had this bond with Leon; like, I'd know just when he was about to call my aunt, or right before he walked into the room...I guess I never thought about it until tonight. It was suddenly gone and I couldn't feel him anymore. I knew something had to have happened. Something real bad."

So he had developed a psychic link with his brother. Perhaps they could use that to their advantage. Count-D lowered himself until they were level with one another.

"While they are searching for your brother out in the streets, I would like for us to seek him another way. I believe it will help us find him quicker, especially since you think he may be in danger."

Chris nodded eagerly. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

They both sank unto the rugged floor, the Kami still holding on to his small hands.

"We will look for your brother in the Astral planes; you already have a bond with him, it will make things a little easier."

"You mean, take a Spirit walk? I've only ever done it to T-chan's garden. He said it was dangerous to go anywhere else without permission."

Count-D spared a moment of thanks that at least the _Totetsu_ was teaching his charge all the right things. "T-chan is right, but I will be giving you permission to visit my garden." Pon-chan's shocked gasp went unheeded as he leaned closer to the boy. "And we will always be together, so there is no fear of harm."

Chris readily shut his eyes. "Okay, let's do it."

It took the Count the space of a heartbeat to step into the world in-between; it was such a simple matter to anchor the boy, pulling him like a lodestone, out of one plane and into the next. Now that they were released from physical constraints; he could see the boy for what he was, and his pure brightness dazzled the eyes. But on the other hand, now more than ever, Chris could also see his own true nature. He stood with wide eyes, unable to fully comprehend but still suitably impressed.

"W0w..."

Count-D smiled and took his hand. They were standing in a replica of the room they'd just escaped, with only a few details altered.

"Come now, Chris."

He reached for the door out of the shop, only it opened into inky blackness beyond. The Kami anticipated the boy's fear and gently soothed it away.

"It is all right, there is nothing for you and I to fear in the dark."

Chris swallowed and nodded, and they stepped forward, into nothing.

"Now I want you to think about your brother. Think about what he means to you, and that bond you share. Focus on that, Chris, and only that. Leave the rest to me."

Their time would only be limited by the child's endurance, and the fact that Count-D omitted from telling him. This would only work as long as Leon Orcot was alive.

Chris heeded his words, closing his eyes and thinking about his brother. He ignored his worry and focused on Leon, on his brother's laugh, on the absence in his chest...

They both fell the tug and the Kami followed, trusting the pull to lead them through the dark. Time and space moved differently in the astral realm, and so did distance. It was a shift, and all of a sudden they were standing in front of a house.

"Um..."

Count-D stared at the incongruous structure. A garden or groove was one thing, but an entire house? It was a small single family home, painted pleasant colors of green and yellow. A child's bicycle lay by the gate in front of them as they walked toward the front door. He was about to knock when the door swung open. As big as the house seemed, there was only one room within. They peered into the darkened space, the table ahead, and the figure hunched over it.

"Hello?"

The form looked up and they were startled. It was a teenage boy; he looked so much like Chris.

"Hello..."

His voice was rough, husky with tears.

"L-Leon?"

"She's gone..."

Chris inched toward this younger version of his brother as the latter shakily got to his feet.

"She's gone and I can't reach her. I can't feel her..."

He sounded so lost and confused, tears dripped steadily down his eyes.

"I miss her so much."

"Big brother," Chris whispered, still reaching closer.

"Wait, Chris!"

Count-D urgently held him back, realizing something about Leon.

"He's fading."

True enough, the figure was becoming less solid before their eyes.

"No..."

Leon looked at his transparent hands and smiled. He looked so happy.

"I'm fading, does that mean I'm dying?"

Chris looked up to the Count's pursed lips and gasped.

"No! Y-you can't die. Leon, I need you. P-please!"

"I'm dying...that means I get to see her."

Leon looked up to them with a wide grin. "I'll get to be with her again."

"Leon please! Don't leave me"

The anguish in his voice cut through to the older brother for a moment, and recognition flickered in his eyes.

"C-Chris?"

"Big bother!"

Chris leaped for him, only to be forestalled yet again by the Count.

"Big brother, you're all I have. Please, don't leave me."

Leon hesitated, indecision evident in his eyes.

"Chris, my baby brother. I promised to look after you..."

But he was still fading; Count D sorely hoped that T-chan and the others had found the detective, wherever he was, because all they had was a matter of seconds. He pushed Chris aside and lunged for the detective, shoving a bolt of energy into his gossamer thin heart.

The charge crackled all over the human's form, expanding and enveloping him in angry sparks.

"Leon!"

Still the Count kept the boy at bay, preventing him from reaching his brother. "Hold on, Chris!"

The reaction faded and it was a much more solid, and much older, Leon that slumped unto the ground.

"Leon!"

This time, he didn't stop Chris from hurrying to his brother. Not dead, very nearly but not dead. He looked at his hand, still feeling the tingles that travelled all the way up his arm.

"Chris?"

Leon cracked open an eye, his famous frown already developing on his face.

"Chris we must leave; your brother will be all right, it is now a matter of T-chan and the others finding him."

Count D peered over the boy, to the detective. "And the least _you_ can do is to make it easier for them."

And with that, Leon disappeared. He turned to Chris and took his hand, willing them out of the house. The Kami spared a last glance, startled to find that it was already crumbling out of existence. They opened their eyes to find Pon-chan and Ahere watching over them, their worry quickly bleeding into relief when they sat upright.

"You two were gone for hours! The others returned a while ago."

That was surprising to the Count, who was certain that he'd only just revived the detective. The latter was sprawled on his sofa, bloody and bruised but still alive.

"We weren't sure what to do with him," Ten-chan offered by way of explanation.

"Yeah, the guy looked like he'd taken a turn through the blender. It's a miracle he's still alive."

Trust the Totetsu's sensitivity to fail him at such critical moments. He glanced down just in time to catch Chris's weary expression and mentally kicked himself.

Count-D surveyed the bedraggled human and shook his head. "He needs to be cleaned up, and his wounds seen to. Help me take him into Chris's room for now. Ten-chan, I am afraid it is too late to prepare another space, can you please let Chris stay in your suite for tonight?"

The Kyuubi easily assented and helped his partner lift the human up and toward the interior.

"Chris, please stay here for now with Pon-chan and Ahere. I will let you see him later."

The boy reluctantly obeyed and Count-D hastened after the other two. The tingle in his arm made him pause at the threshold with a frown. It was the same arm...he raised it to the light and his eyes widened.

There were burn marks on the surface of his skin.

As any writer can attest, isn't it funny when the creations of your imagination suddenly have minds of their own and start making unreasonable demands, like the right to unionize?


End file.
